


Earn Your Keep

by happycamper19



Category: Anne of Green Gables (TV 1985) & Related Fandoms, Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery, Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: AU, F/M, Happy Ending, Like children, Set in Season 1, Young Characters, and middle, bc we need that rn, but happy ending, but sad beginning, but they know they like each other obvi, marilla's stubborn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:48:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 28,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25888348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/happycamper19/pseuds/happycamper19
Summary: "Oh, why couldn’t she have kept her mouth shut? Marilla was right, she did talk too much, and all it did was tell the people around her that the Blewett household was where she belonged. And with that, Marilla left her. Told her to be on good behaviour. Climbed on her carriage like she wasn’t breaking Anne’s heart. Road off to Green Gables, taking Anne’s dream with her."---Marilla made up her mind; they sent for a boy and they would receive one. Besides, Anne got to stay in Avonlea. This was the right thing to do.
Relationships: Diana Barry & Anne Shirley, Gilbert Blythe & Anne Shirley, Gilbert Blythe/Anne Shirley, Marilla Cuthbert & Matthew Cuthbert & Anne Shirley
Comments: 50
Kudos: 130





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I read the books a while ago, but even then I remember expecting Marilla to send Anne off in those first chapters of the book. I knew that they'd come back for her, hence the name of the book, but 9 year old me took Marilla for face value and truly thought she'd leave Anne at the Blewetts. From what I remember, the show's Marilla wasn't more sympathetic than the one in the books.
> 
> Either way I think everyone can agree that Anne's meant to be at Green Gables, so everything's going to come full circle. Take from that what you will haha.

The sun was hot and relentless in the sky. As it happened, all Anne could hear was a ringing in her ears. It was only when she saw Marilla’s back turned away on her carriage that her mind processed what was happening. Her lungs seemed to collapse, and Anne couldn’t breathe. 

She felt a heavy load drop into her arms, making her stumble. Laundry. The recent series of events went off in her mind as her eyes stung. For the first time in a long time, Anne’s consciousness slowed down to a crawl. She followed Mrs. Blewett into the house. A deep part of Anne’s mind went silent, almost dead. Her body went on autopilot as she entered the house.

Anne’s optimism rivaled even the most dire of situations and only a few hours earlier, as the sun was making its way up, Anne was confident she found her forever home. How she loved her gable room. The bed, the window, her wonderful Snow Queen; it rivaled what she came up with in her imagination. She was so confident she’d find a way to stay. Anne was truly on her best behaviour around Marilla that morning. That’s one disadvantage of being optimistic, Anne thought. When what you’re dreaming doesn’t come true, the fall down to reality is that much harder.

Besides the plates she dropped, she seemed to be doing well. And when Marilla stayed calm as the mishap from the orphanage was explained to her by Mrs. Spencer, Anne felt even better. By the time they left she felt on top of the world. A home. A family. The sun was shining. Truly, nothing could be better in Anne’s world. 

But then they passed Mrs. Blewett. When they didn’t immediately leave should have been a signal for Anne. How many times has she been handed over from person to person and place to place? Too many to count. So she should have seen it coming, should have seen the signs. Maybe optimism clouds reality too much. 

“Your baby has colic.” Why couldn’t she have kept her mouth shut? Marilla was right, she did talk too much, and all it did was tell the people around her that the Blewett household was where she belonged. And with that Marilla left her. Told her to be on good behaviour. Climbed on her carriage like she wasn’t breaking Anne’s heart. Road off to Green Gables, taking Anne’s dream with her. 

The inside of the house was eerily similar to that of the Hammand’s, and it made Anne’s skin crawl. It was bigger, that was true, but the space was laddened with children. She couldn’t count them all, but Anne knew that she would get to know them well. There were piles of laundry everywhere, three foul smelling pots on the stove simmering, infants crying. The windows were small and dirty, so the entire space was dark. The space was chaotic and messy, the opposite of Green Gables in shape and spirit. Again, Anne found it hard to breathe.

She felt nervous, but tried to be positive. She didn’t want to let on how anxious she was feeling. “You have a really nice home, Mrs. Blewett. It might not seem like it, but really there’s a lot of space and I think it has so much room for imagination. See here, this couch cushion? Its brown colour reminds me of trees in the Nova Scotia Orphanage, they were really old, sturdy trees. In the summer months I would climb them and try to sneak a book up with me, but it almost never worked. But once it did, and I was reading poetry! It was about a bird that flew far away from his nest and couldn’t find its way home, isn’t that tragic? If I were that bird I would absolutely die. Imagine having a home and then losing it!”

“That is quite enough young lady, stop your jabbering!”

Anne’s mouth clamped shut. Suddenly her situation smacked her across the face. She was in service all over again. Adoption or no, Anne knew what she was there for. Overwhelmed, she turned to Mrs. Blewett. There’s no sense in thinking about what's lost. Now, wouldn’t Marilla approve of her practicality. Certainly this place lacks magic, but that is what imagination was for. 

“It’s nice to meet you Mrs. Blewitt. I’m Anne Shirley, Anne with an e, if you don’t mind, I’m quite particular about that, because the e just makes it so much more romantic than plain old Ann without the e, and I was wondering --”

“Well you stop right there. Look at this house, girl, it’s loud enough as it is. You’re here for a reason, mind you, and it is not to add to the noise. Do your jobs properly and we won’t have any problems, you hear?” Anne nodded silently, slamming her mouth shut. Her hands were shaking as she gripped her elbows, trying to comfort herself. 

“You look over Jacob, the colic baby, and do the laundry while you’re at it. Come find me when you’re done and you can start on dinner. And don’t let me see you slacking on your first day and -- hey! Get rid of that glum look on your face. Do the work I tell you without any fuss or there’ll be consequences. You’ll have to earn your keep.”

Of this Anne had no doubt, so she made her way out the door and down the steps to the laundry line. With the baby pouched on her hip and a frayed clothes in the other. She got to work. 

Less than an hour later, with all the clothes on drying and the baby left in his basket, Anne headed to the gate of the house to get her bag. Really, the only things in there were her sleeping things, and they fit her even worse than her day dress, but Anne was still attached to the barely functioning bag that held all of her worldly possessions. In the Hammond's house, Anne slept in a new location every few days, mainly in the sitting area of the house. It led to terrible encounters with a drunken Mr. Hammond, and the clear way to the door meant he easily dragged her outside for a whipping when he saw fit. Here, Anne hoped she would get her own corner of a room. Nothing could ever beat her gable room with the Cuthberts, but Anne was learning to temper her expectations. 

She carried her bag in one hand and the baby in the other, heading inside. 

\--------------------------

Anne didn’t get much at dinner, but she didn’t expect to. She fell back into the routine of service quickly. The change of events gave her a mental whiplash, yes, but the shock was wearing off. The first evening with the Blewetts was almost exactly like with the other families she served, and so Anne knew how to make it bearable. 

Really, she thought, she’s not starting from scratch. She knows to leave a bit of stew at the bottom of the pan, so she can eat it while she cleans after dinner. She knows how to hide bits of bread in the folds of her dress. She knows where to tuck her bag to get out of the children’s way, and she knows how to reply to Mrs. Blewett. So really, that must mean that this is where she belongs!

She was going to spend the rest of her life taking care of these children and cleaning this house, she was going to spend the rest of her life avoiding Mrs. Blewett's strap and Mr. Blewett's belt, she was never going to meet a bosom friend or fall in love or get a castle in Spain, and that was fine! What had Marilla said? That she must pray to thank God of her blessings? Well this must be the blessings she meant. Certainly, her situation could get a lot worse. Maybe this was the depths of despair to her, but couldn’t she climb out of it? Mrs. Blewett has one set of twins instead of three. A blessing indeed!

Settling down on the couch of the sitting room, staring out the window and to the main road outside, Anne’s imagination took her down the street, past the cliffside, by the Lake of Shining Waters, and into Green Gables. And finally, she fell asleep.


	2. The Beginning of the Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The events of season one take place, albeit in a different way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm Canadian, if anyone's confused about the spelling!

Anne Shirley didn’t liken herself to be practical, but in dire circumstances practical she could be. Already her days were long and homogeneous, hot and heavy mentally as much as physically. She woke up on her third day with the Blewetts with a stomp right near her ear, an inch away from her head. It seemed Mrs. Blewett was still angry at her for chattering the previous evening. Anne felt a pit form in her stomach.

“Get up! Come on, it’s time to start working. If you behave you may come into town with me today.”

Well that got her mind up and working better than anything. It was the small things, she thought. A drive into town would lift up her spirits immensely. She shoved down the urge to express this, silently nodding up at Mrs. Blewett.

“Good. Make some lunch for Mr. Blewett and then wake up Nancy, I want her to make me some tea. Then change the baby’s nappies will you? All of them?”

“Yes Mrs. Blewett.” She went into the kitchen and took out some bread and cheese.

It’s not that Anne didn’t like Mr. Blewett. On the contrary, in the two days she had spent in his house she saw him maybe twice. A tall, sturdy mad, Mr. Blewett loomed over her the few times he told her what to do. He barely listened to her introduction and only glared at her through dinner before he went to sleep. Mr. Blewett, it seemed, was too busy to get drunk. Maybe in small towns like Avonlea had less drunks in them. The thought made her smile. Still, she knew that he wasn't busy enough not to turn his belt on her.

Finished packing up his lunch, she reached for the first baby she found. She didn’t yet know their names, had no desire to exert that energy, but it didn’t matter. Her job was still the same.

From time to time, though, Anne could acknowledge that babies were cute. In fact, when they weren’t crying or yelling, and when they didn’t come in pairs, Anne could see the appeal of making a family of little babies. The trouble only came when they didn’t behave. In those times Anne couldn’t care less what they were trying to communicate -- it wasn’t important enough to warrant a bruise from their mother.

She frowned at the cut that was scabbing on her wrist. A punishment for not properly shushing one of the toddlers the previous evening. It marred her clear skin, clearer than it had been for a long time. There was an absence of punishments from the moment Mr. Hammond dropped dead to her journey back to the orphanage and then to Prince Edward Island. Anne’s skin cleared up wonderfully. She missed it, but quickly banished those thoughts. She would simply do her job better today.

The town centre was surprisingly empty, and it confused Anne immensely until she remembered it was Sunday. Mrs. Blewett had a death grip on Anne’s wrist as she yanked her through the streets and into shops. In her experience, Anne’s job was to watch the babies as the mother shopped, or at the very least to shop for her. So her purpose on the trip wasn’t clear. It was only as they rode back to the house that Anne realized.

The annual church picnic was going on today, by the Lake of Shining Waters. She remembered hearing Mathew talk to Marilla about, not wanting to go. She saw little boys and girls chasing each other around, and older kids standing by what seemed to be ice cream. Adults sat on blankets and by the house conversing. Most people were smiling. Anne squinted. She could make out the Cuthberts.

She felt hyper aware of what was going on. Mrs. Blewett brought her here for a reason, and it wasn’t so she could join.

“Do you know what the worst part of small towns are? No, I didn’t think so. It’s the gossip. Everyone up in everyone else’s business. Those women there, they think they’re so much better than us. But in reality they’re exactly the same, they just hide under smiles and money. My point is this. If you speak or spend time with anyone, I will know. It will get back to me. And I will not tolerate that. You are here to do your job, and I don’t like the starry look in your eyes when you drift off doing chores. No more ranting, no more going off into space. You’ll do as I say, when I say it, or you can leave. And if you talk to anyone, you’re out. Am I clear?”

She was.

\---------------------

Marilla couldn’t help her hands shaking as she kneaded the dough. It was early in the morning, perhaps earlier than ever really necessary, but Marilla had practicality flowing through her veins. She tossed and turned all night until she decided to make use of her restlessness and get started with her day. On her mind was one Anne Shirley.

Her bright spirit and open craziness made a mark on Green Gables, even though the girl was only there for a day. Still, as the sun crept up in the sky and the dough was set to rest, Marilla expected to hear thumping down the stairs, a sign that the girl was up, and the start of the usual chatter about the weather or her dreams.

With the bread out of the way and nothing to do, Marilla started on tea. Maybe Mathew would want some before he headed out for work, though whether he stayed long enough in the kitchen to drink it was another thing altogether. In the three days that proceeded Anne leaving, Mathew receded into himself even more, and he barely looked at his sister, let alone talked to her. Living with Mathew all her life meant Marilla knew a thing or two about his behaviour, and she knew that this was more than anger. But Marilla didn’t think about it. Even if she did regret her decision -- which she didn’t! -- what’s done was done. Anne Shirley lived in a home with plenty of other children and plenty to do. If that Blewett woman can raise her brood then certainly she could raise one more!

Besides, what did Marilla know about being a mother? Absolutely nothing. Yes, it was true, she did hear almost everything from Rachel, but that was different than being one herself. Marilla heard Mathew come into the kitchen.

“Well good morning.”

“Morning.” And he headed out the door.

\-----------

“Did you hear about the new orphan girl?”

“How would I hear it before you tell me, Rachel?” Marilla gave her a tight lipped smile. She didn’t know why she lied to her oldest friend, but didn’t want to think about it.

“She’s working for the Blewetts, apparently. Terribly skinny, she is, and has the brightest orange head Providence has ever seen.”

Thinking about her red braids made Marilla smile. They were unique, just like her, and they fit her well. Marilla couldn’t imagine an Anne Shirley with brown hair, nor did she want to. She did, however, struggle to agree with Rachel. Despite herself, Marilla found herself growing angry.

“Come now, Rachel. Don’t judge harshly on her looks. She’s new, I’m sure she’ll start to fit in eventually.”

Rachel tutted. “I don’t know why you believe that, Marilla. How many times have you said it yourself, you wouldn’t give a dog you like to the Blewett woman.”

Marilla swallowed her tea. Desperately trying to shift conversation, she asked Rachel about some schoolgirl drama. Rachel quickly spiraled with her rant. For now at least, Marilla didn’t have to think about why her hands were shaking, how she felt cold and her heart thumping loudly in her chest.

\-----------

For Marilla, the next day started the same. Little sleep, early start, again and again. How had she done this same routine for decades? And why all of a sudden was she bothered by it? She lived a good honest life, she told herself. She shouldn’t be saddened by regrets and past mistakes.

By early noon the sun glared down again, and she decided to enjoy a glass of lemonade while sitting outside on her porch. She still has some laundry to fold, she listed in her head, and the kitchen should use a good scrubbing, and that should be it for today. Just as she finished her drink she saw a movement from the corner of her eye. A spark of red. Despite herself, her heart started beating quickly. Anne was walking by the Green Gables fence, red braids in all of their glory, carrying what looked like a parcel from the town. And before she had a chance to think about what she was doing, she called out to her.

“Anne!” She glanced over. Anne was too far away for Marilla to see properly, but she knew how far away the town was, and recognized the early autumn heat. “Come up here for a drink!”

As for Anne, the package she was carrying was growing heavier by the second. The sun was burning her neck and her throat was scratchy. Mrs. Blewett’s warning to stay away from everyone played in her mind. But her legs took her to the front of Green Gables, and she felt her spirits lift. She looked over at the dear house and tried to ignore all of the regrets that she saw in it. Despite the ending, her two days at Green Gables were some of the best in her life.

She gulped down the drink hungerly, with two hands. Had she been in the right state of mind she would have put an effort into her manners, but she hadn’t eaten since last night and had a small drink of water hours ago. Once again Green Gables was her survivor.

While Anne contemplated this, Marilla took a chance to look her over. She was still wearing the same dress she came with, with a few new holes developing on her sleeves. The effort Marilla spent on the girl’s fingernails cleaning them was all for nought -- they were caked with dirt. She looked thin, and as she set her cup down, her sleeve lifted to show a cut on her wrist. Before she could inquire Anne said, “thank you kindly, Marilla. Your generosity will never be forgotten. I do truly appreciate your help.”

“Well it’s nothing much, Anne. How’s life with the Blewetts?” The words tasted bitter on her tongue but she soldiered on. The girl shouldn’t be hurt like that, she shouldn’t still be in the same old clothes. She thought of the brown material she had in her closet, and how it would be enough for a dress for her.

But all Anne could think about was the glass of lemonade, sweet and sour still of her tongue. Maybe if she minded her manners Marilla would invite her back. Maybe she’d see Mathew again, or Pride and Prejudice. Maybe, just maybe, if she convinced Marilla that she was doing good work for the Blewetts, maybe if she could prove herself, Marilla would let her come back. It was faulty logic, Anne knew, but she had read a story similar to that, hasn’t she? Where a prince proved himself to the princess and they lived happily ever after?

Mind resolved, she displayed the biggest grin she could muster. It wasn’t even hard -- here, at Green Gables, under the shade of the porch, Anne suddenly felt invincible. So when she answered the question she answered with conviction, with all her poetry and lyrical prose.

“Well it’s going splendidly, dear Marilla. They treat me very well and I feel so at peace. I work very hard for them, but I am used to that, at least! I made the older kids some toast today for breakfast, all by myself! As I watched it cook I heard your voice in my head, ‘Anne, stop your daydreaming and don’t let breakfast burn!’ and it really was quite helpful, because it was almost done cooking, so I thank you for that. And Mrs. Blewett took me to town the other day, I think it was Sunday, so now I can go in and bring in parcels all by myself. It’s a long walk, but I enjoy it immensely, because I can walk through the forest and talk to the birds and the trees and let my imagination roam wild and--”

But Marilla’s thoughts drifted off. Anne seemed happy with the Blewetts. Was it all in her head? Maybe the cut was an accident, and she was dirty because she was playing outside. Certainly, it seemed to be something she’d do. Well that settled it. Marilla was wrong about Mrs. Blewett, she couldn’t be so terrible when Anne seemed so happy.

As for Anne, as she skipped back to the fence with her parcel in her hand, she waved back eagerly to Marilla. If her plan works out, she’ll be back soon. Why wasn’t Mrs. Blewett telling her that she had a weekly subscription? She’d be back soon, she told herself firmly. And one day she wouldn’t have to leave.

\-----------

Anne’s cheerful attitude survived the Blewetts again and again. When she felt saddened by her service, she thought of her gable room. When she felt angry at the babies, she thought of quiet Mathew, when she tried to stop the tears in her eyes, she thought of cooking with Marilla. If she kept working hard she would get to go back, she just knew it.

But this cheery disposition only remained until Monday morning, where Anne’s life was changed forever. She had gotten into an argument with the Blewetts, unable to keep the toddlers busy and the babies quiet. She spilled the porridge she made for the older kids, and almost set her sleeve on flame as she made tea. She didn’t know what got into her, maybe it was just bad luck. Still, she shouldn’t have run away. Hadn’t she promised she’d be on her best behaviour? She was on a mission -- hopefully she could go live with the Cuthberts before winter set in, the Blewetts house would be drafty and cold. But she ran away after a slap on her face; she sprinted into the forest before the bruise could settle in.

When her lungs ached and her head spun, she forced herself to stop. She had no idea where she was. Anne knew, had she had the opportunity, she would memorize Avonlea like the back of her hand. But she had been working from dawn to dusk since she moved in with the Blewetts, and now her foolishness led to her being lost.

She stumbled upon a thin dirt trail and let her feet sink under her. As her mind calmed down and her head cleared, she knew that she shouldn't try finding her way back. She’d wait until someone kind used this trail and she would ask for directions.

She was just in the middle of imagining Princess Cordelia jumping through the trees with her long, flowing black hair trailing behind her when she saw she heard someone come by. Ripped from her daydreams, she called out to him. He was taller than she was, but they must have been around the same age. He had his blond hair gelled back and he had what looked like expensive looking clothes. He looked mean, and Anne’s had enough experience with people like him. Still, she needed his help, and tried to work her request so he wouldn’t know where she lived. “I was wondering if you could give me some directions? I’m new to Avonlea, I’m just trying to get back to the main road.”

He looked at her. “You must be the new orphan, huh? The whole town’s talking about you since no one’s seen you at the picnic. There were some people trying to defend you, like those old siblings and one of the Barrys, but we all know what you really are.”

Anne was stunned to silence, an event that rarely occurred. “What makes you think I’d help a dog like you? Do you bark?” He started walking towards her.  
“Go on, dog, say woof! Woof!” He was leering over her, and it occurred to Anne that she should be angry. But all she could think about was getting away, and as she walked backward she tripped and fell on the root of the tree she was leaning on.

Blood drained from her face as she fell backwards, landing on her elbows.

\------------

Gilbert Blythe was having a wonderful morning. His father felt great, could actually stand up and walk over to the kitchen table today, and he was heading to school. There was a thick mist low on the ground. He thought it gave the forest a mysterious air to it that was very fitting. He felt mainly calm, if a little nervous of facing the schoolyard again. He had just begun whistling.

He heard them before he saw them, and he picked up the pace. Billy was looming over a girl, a little younger than them with bright red hair, the brightest he’s ever seen. “You’re a bad dog, Fido, a bad, little dog” No amount of time or distance would lessen Gilbert’s distaste for Billy Andrews, and apparently the time away he took in Alberta meant the same. Instinct took over.

“Hey Billy!” He walked over to them. “How’s it going?”

Billy looked rightfully shocked. “Hi Gilbert, welcome back.”

“Man, it’s good to be back. Are you guys playing a game or something?”

Silence.

The girl with the red hair glanced up at him. She was wringing her hands together, and she looked in shock. Gilbert knew that they weren’t playing a game, that much was obvious, but he played along. “It seems fun, but we should probably head to school if we don’t want to be late.”

He nodded, and then ran off. “You okay, miss?”

She didn’t answer him. In another word, Anne would have rushed to school, but she had nowhere to go now.

“Are you new? I’m Gilbert by the way, it’s my first day back. Are you heading to school too?”

He was holding such intense eye contact with her, Anne thought. She didn’t understand why he wasn’t leaving. He did his good deed, what else could he want? She tried not to get lost in his grown eyes, tried to stop herself from letting her eyes roam around his face and to the brown curls on his head. He was taller than her too, but she didn’t feel threatened. If anything, calm settled over her like a heavy blanket.

“No I’m not going to school. I was just… um, I was just lost so. And Billy found me.”

“Oh okay. Where are you going? I’ve been away for a while but I’m sure I can remember where most places are.” He smiled at her, and Anne felt her heart stop. He had a nice smile.

She didn’t know how to reply to him. Hi, my name’s Anne and I work for a family with ten children because no one wants to deal with me. She internally scoffed. No, this boy was being nice to her for some reason, or at the very least not mean, and she wanted to enjoy it while she could. Who knew the next time she’d meet someone like him again?

“Uh well, I’m actually spending the day in the woods.” Anne Shirley! Maybe think before you speak! He looked confused.

“Okay…” He said slowly, “So why was Billy bothering you? Did you do something to him?”

Gilbert knew what the situation looked like, and he also knew that Billy wasn’t done bothering her. He looked at her. “Wanna walk to school so we can chat?”

Anne froze on the spot. The calm that settled over her was drifting off, but the mysteriousness of the forest no longer seemed magical -- only looming. She followed in step with him. Warning sounds went off in her head, but she ignored them. Today, she was going to be princess Cordelia, and Princess Cordelia was practicing bravery. Besides, she had nowhere else to go.

Gilbert struggled to bring up a conversation with her. New people rarely came to Avonlea, and they were never nice, cute girls. Certainly he’s never seen red hair like hers, or eyes so blue. He hummed under his breath to release the tension, and out of nowhere, “Do you think he’s done bothering me?”

The girl looked at him full on, an expectant look on her face. She was really pretty.

“Well, I can try to talk to him if you’d like? He’s not the nice type, but I’m sure you’ve figured that out.”

“No, you don’t have to! Unless you want to… I’m just going to try to stay out of the way from this area and hope he forgets about it.”

And then an idea popped into his head. “You said you’re going to be here all day? Just wait up for me up the road and I’ll walk you home.”

He held his breath in anticipation. He didn’t really know why he cared so much -- it wasn’t likely Billy was going to bother Anne for the second time in a day, but he stopped to look at her as the schoolhouse came into view.

She looked at him quizzically, like he was a puzzle she was trying to solve. Anne turned the offer over in her mind. She didn’t really know this boy, and however nice he seemed he could turn mean and nasty if he wanted to. And Mrs. Blewett’s warning was screaming in her head.

But she didn’t know how to get home -- or how to start finding it. And, if she was being honest with herself, she wanted to spend more time with this boy. Gilbert. She could use a friend. So she looked him over and agreed.

“Yeah, okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are starting, things are happening. Yay! Comments make me happy. Hope you enjoyed!


	3. Unraveling

Gilbert spent the rest of his day with his attention on something or another, never a moment’s rest. He was pulled in all directions as soon as he entered the schoolyard, speaking to all of his old friends and tolerating the meaner boys, saying hello to the girls and Mr. Philip. He tried to focus on the lessons -- school had only begun a few short weeks ago and that combined with his two years away meant that he was very behind. But the entire day his thoughts kept drifting back to the girl he met in the woods. Her shiny red hair, her bright blue eyes. He frowned when he remembered how small she looked. If he didn’t know any better he’d think she was much younger than him, but something about the way she carried herself made her seem mature. He remembered how thin she was. If she was truly going to be in the forest all day, she would be hungry. He decided to keep his apple for her.

He glared at Billy every time he saw him, though he doubted that would dissuade him forever. Gilbert was very eager to meet her again after school and headed in that direction as soon as Mr. Philips dismissed them. He tried to leave his friends as politely as he could. Moody and Charlie were great, and he grew up with them, but meeting a cute girl in the forest was something he wanted to keep for himself, if only for a day. 

He thought about her again. He could shake himself when he realized he didn’t know her name! How was he supposed to call for her now? He hoped that she came back to the area where they met, though the forest was big, and she could easily become lost.

But then, as a clearing came into view about ten minutes from the schoolhouse, he saw her. Curled up in a ball, by the base of the tree she tripped on this morning. He walked over to her and grasped her braid, desperate to get her to look at him. He called out cheerfully, his mood lightened just by seeing her. He wondered why that was. 

“Hey! Carrots!”

Mistake. The girl shot up like she was hit with lightning, and looked at him with a look of betrayal. She looked so hurt. She shook her head slowly and started walking backward, almost tripping again on the roots of the trees. “Leave me alone.” 

And she turned and fled.

Gilbert, though shocked, recovered quickly and started after her. “Wait, I- listen, I didn’t know your name, and… look I just meant it as a joke! No harm done!”

Anne stopped and looked at him. The devastated look on her face was no longer there. Instead, it looked like she was wearing a mask. If Gilbert hadn’t known what just happened, he’d have thought that she was almost fine. But her eyes were still cold and looked brimming with tears. She looked -- and to Gilbert, this felt like a punch to the gut -- she looked the same as when he found her this morning crowning under Billy.

“I’m really sorry. Look, I like your hair! I think it’s really pretty, honest! Don’t be mad for keeps.”

He walked over to her slowly, trying not to scare her off, and handed her the apple he had from his lunch. She accepted and let her arm drop to her side. 

“My name’s Anne. Spelled with an e.”

“Anne with an e. Nice to meet you, I’m Gilbert Blythe.”

He held his hand out and they shook once, immediately dropping their hands. Now was not the time or place to think about how that felt. 

“I’m heading home in that direction,” Gilbert said, pointing, “you’re welcome to join me.”

Gilbert wasn’t blind. Anne’s dress looked small and dirty, and she was clearly not spending all day in the forest for fun. But while Gilbert considered himself a good person, he didn’t go out of his way inviting people into him home without good reason. And while Anne looked like she needed help, he still has a sick father to take care of and a farm to restore before winter. Not to mention two years of school work to catch up on.

Anne, meanwhile, felt herself become weary. She has waited all day for this boy, that was true, but as every minute passed and the sun fell lower and lower in the sky she felt more anxious about her inevitable return to the Blewetts. She was breaking almost all of Mrs. Blewett's rules, she thought. Talking to other people, not doing her chores, running away. She was in for a harsh lashing when she went back.

Gilbert, seeing how unconvinced Anne looked, rescinded his offer. “Well, it’s a long story, but I can’t really go home for another hour or so… Mrs. Mckinnon is taking care of our house and she told me not to come back for a while after dinner as to not get in the way. So let’s stay here.” It wasn’t a lie, or at least not completely. Gilbert didn’t want to go home. Scared of her rejection, he sat down on a fallen tree log and looked at her expectedly.

She sat beside him and started eating her apple. He was relieved; if she accepted his token then they must be friends. He decided to tread lightly with the conversation, at least at first. “How was your day in the forest?”

She immediately brightened up. “Oh, it was magical! In the beginning, I was so worried, you know, about Billy coming back, and I scared myself silly with imagining ghosts and goals and different apparitions lurking in the fog, but then midday came around and the sun shined so happily so I explored the area and I found the absolutely iridescent clearing with the loveliest grand trees and I climbed up one of the biggest ones and tried to get to the top. I almost failed, too, but I made it. And by the time I got down I was so tired I barely found my way, back, which is why when I did I almost immediately fell asleep when you found me, and--” 

Anne blushed red. Oh, why couldn’t she just hold her breath for one minute! It caused her all sorts of trouble! But no, the boy in front of her didn’t look bored or even annoyed. He was holding eye contact with her, nodding along, looking almost expectant of her talking. Did he… like listening to her? Or at the very least not mind?

“Anyway.” She was still pink. “Who’s Mrs. Mckinnon? Does she work for your family?”

Gilbert mulled over how to respond over in his head. He didn’t want her pity -- the inevitable reaction to people hearing about how sick his dad was, but he also didn’t want to lie. His tentative friendship with Anne was already rocky, and he wanted to hear her talk again. “My dad’s sick, so she sorta takes care of our house in exchange for our apples in the fall. We only came back to Avonlea yesterday, though, so for a while, I have to stay out after school. She said I don’t need to worry about that, and dad wants me to focus on school.”

“What about your mom? Oh, I’m sorry. That was rude. I should know.”

“Why? Is your mom dead too?” Gilbert aimed for a joke, a jab at his situation. He never expected her response. 

“Well, yeah. My dad too.”

Oh. Okay then. 

Anne recognized how the conversation turned. Desperate to bring it back to jokes and lighthearted chatter, she asked him about school.

“It was strange, actually. I expected things to remain the same, but really, it’s eerily similar. I feel like I’ve changed so much on my time away that stepping back into the schoolhouse was like going back in time.”

Anne looked down at the floor. “I think I’d love to go to school, it seems like a magical place! I imagine there’s unlimited knowledge to be learned and that’s the best place to do it!”

“Why don’t you go?”

“Oh well, you know I’m an orphan.” He nodded. “Well I have been since I was three months old, so my whole life really. But I’m older now, so in service, and I just help mothers raise their kids. Until they send me back to the orphanage.”

“So they don’t send you to school?”

“No. I mean, I went for a couple of months when I was eight or nine, but I haven’t had the chance since.”

“Well, why don’t I bring you some of my old books and stuff? I think I have an old slate, too. And then you can practice! I’ll help you out, I promise.” Yes, it was perfect! Gilbert loved his father, he did, but he couldn’t stand to be in the same house with him and Mrs. Mckinnon, now more than ever. He tried not to think of what that said about him, but he wanted to forget his father was sick for just a little bit. And since he found Anne curled up under the tree, he hasn’t been worried or anxious once.

“Oh no, I can’t ask that of you! Besides, I rarely ever have time away from the Blewetts, the only reason I’m here right now is that I can’t get back! And if she ever found out I was talking to you I’d be in so much trouble. I really don’t want her to send me back!”

She cut herself off before she revealed why. Yes, Avonlea was beautiful, but her hope for Green Gables was still strong. It was the only thing she had left.

“Okay, wait,” Gilbert said. He stood up and looked around. “There’s a clearing in the trees over there,” he pointed deep into the woods, opposite of the direction of the schoolhouse. “Every few days, when you have some time, we can just meet up and I’ll help you. There must be some times you can get away, right? I know the Blewetts, or where they live, anyway. So we’ll find a route for you that takes the least amount of time.”

“Well, Mr. Blewitt does come home late sometimes, after Mrs. Blewitt goes upstairs to her room. It’s only every few days or so, but I could probably sneak out.”

What was wrong with her? Wasn’t she supposed to be on her best behaviour? But, oh. If Gilbert helped her it would be like she was going to school. No, she wouldn’t find a bosom friend, but Gilbert seemed like a kind replacement. And if she ran her way there and back, and if she had credible excuses lined up, then Mrs. Blewitt wouldn’t find her. Besides, Anne reasoned, she would get a lashing or a slap regardless of what she did. She may as well do something she wants.

Gilbert looked like she just handed him the moon, which was strange considering that was just what he did for her. “Perfect! So you’ll come?”

“Wait! I mean, what can I do for you?”

He looked at her confused. He asked, “What do you mean?” like it was a ridiculous question.

“I can’t make you come out of your way to help me and not give anything back! That would be terrible of me.”

Gilbert thought that was ridiculous, be he could see she was serious. She didn’t know his dad was sick, and he didn’t particularly want to tell her. For now, he just wanted to bask in her presence and spend time with her without his home situation weighing him down. He tried to think of ways she could help him, but really, he had everything he needed. Except for a friend that he could talk to, a friend that would understand him. Anne could be that for him, but he couldn’t very well tell her that. 

“You said you work to take care of the family, right? Does that mean you can stitch?”

She looked confused. “Well yeah, of course I can.”

“Wonderful, so I have some holes in my jumpers and things, I can bring them over and you can stitch them up for me while I try to teach you what we’ve learned.” He decided to forgo mentioning that he could stitch his clothes. He wasn’t very good at it, but he didn’t have Mrs. Mckinnon to do it for him in Alberta. So instead of giving his clothes to her, he’d give them to Anne. She was a lot prettier anyway.

Anne finished her apple and threw the stem away. She faced him and beamed. “That sounds agreeable.”

He chuckled at her formal words. “I’ll stay for a couple of minutes after school to wait for you, and if you show up then we can start, okay? And we’ll just keep all of our things hidden in the woods so we don’t have to drag them back and forth.”

“Okay, that sounds good!”

They looked at each other, unsure of what to do. “Can you point me in the direction of the Blewetts? She’s going to be so mad when I return.”

Anne felt her shoulders slump and her head hung low. No matter how much she enjoyed exploring the forest and meeting Gilbert, her evening was not going to be fun. She hoped Mr. Blewitt would come home late again. Maybe then Mrs. Blewitt would let her off with a slap or two, though she doubted it. 

Gilbert was confused about why Anne seemed so small all of a sudden. His dad would be mad if he disappeared all day, but he’d mostly be concerned. Though he had to remind himself, Anne didn’t live with her parents, she lived with her employers, though there was no way they were paying her. And it was the Blewetts too, who scared him when he was younger. The thought made him sad. Anne seemed like the type of person that deserved a family.

Still, she looked scared! But she was probably just tired. They wouldn’t hurt her, she hadn’t done anything wrong!

“Yeah, I’ll walk you to the road and give you some directions.”

She looked at him gratefully. “Thank you.”

\-------------

Anne’s life wasn’t easy so far, but she was getting better at living it.

She was right, Mrs. Blewett was furious. Wretched girl! Useless orphan! Ugly, unimportant, sickly pale! She expected Mrs. Blewett to whip her outside, or do what Mrs. Hammond did by telling her husband to do it for her. But instead, she gave her a sharp slap across the face, wedding ring cutting her cheek, and yelled at her while Anne prepared supper. She washed used nappies while listening to a talking to, trying not to wrinkle her nose at the smell in front of her. In the end, Mrs. Blewett didn’t allow her to wash her hands, so she rubbed them on the grass outside. Filthy and nasty for sure, but at least it quailed her huger as she wasn’t allowed dinner anyway.

She lay down by one of the babies to go to bed, turning the day over in her head. She closed her eyes and tried to picture every moment that had happened. Imperfect it was, but the best day she’s had since arriving at the Blewetts. She distracted herself from the but on her cheek by thinking about Gilbert. Brown eyes, soft smile. She was excited to see him again. 

She probably couldn’t meet him tomorrow, but she hoped and prayed that he would wait for her until the day she could sneak out. 

When her stomach rumbled, begging for food and caving in on itself, she thought of the Cuthberts. Yes, she would prove to them that she was better than they thought. She tried to twist Marilla’s smile to that of pride. It was hard to imagine, but as soon as she’d show them all she’s learned they would be proud of her indeed! The thought made her smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know your thoughts and opinions, or prediction on how this will go. Comment down below!


	4. The First of Many

It was almost the end of the week before they saw each other again, but Anne thought that was probably for the best. She tried to push down any thoughts of him abandoning her or forgetting to meet up with her -- when she concentrated on how she felt when they were talking, her worries would soothe. But still, the cut on her cheek was healing, and she’s been able to sneak some extra chunks of bread here and there, so she was feeling better. Definitely ready to learn!

Mrs. Blewett retreated upstairs, citing a headache. Anne thought that was fair, what with ten children around the house. She let the older toddlers play outside in the area behind the house, and put all the babies to sleep. She promised one the oldest girl, who was probably eight, that if she kept the children quiet she would put extra sugar in her tea. 

Anne felt a bit guilty. Not for leaving Mrs. Blewett -- Anne didn’t have it in her to care for that woman. But the children were unattended, and Anne knew from experience that it wasn’t a nice feeling. Still, if she could do it then so could they. Anne did it without extra sugar in her tea, she reasoned, without any tea at all!

She was almost halfway to their meeting point before she realized that she didn’t have any needles of thread. She considered running back to get some, but Mrs. Blewett would definitely notice that the thread was gone, it was scarce enough as it was! She hoped Gilbert wouldn’t be angry at her, or worse, call off their meetings altogether. It was all she thought about the last few days. To Anne, Gilbert was one of her best chances of a real friendship. He could teach her enough to impress Marilla, and he seemed to know enough about Avonlea to fill her in.

Though she couldn’t deny that she was also meeting him because he seemed like a nice fellow, a good friend. And, she thought blushing, he was pretty handsome. Definitely like someone from her books. If she were Princess Cordelia, she'd play out her imaginings between the two of them, she thought. For now, though, she was just happy she had a friend.

She was still pink from her thoughts, and she silently cursed her red hair and pale complexion. Just another reason that things between her and Gilbert were friendly. If you could even count it like that. Regardless, she’d blame her cheeks on her run over. 

She found him sitting on a fallen log in their clearing, reading a book. When he heard her footsteps he glanced up and immediately stood up and faced her, the book on his lap falling to the floor. He looked at her sheepishly. “Hi, Anne.”

“Hi, Gilbert.”

She felt tension in the air and desperately tried to quell it. “So how was school? What do you have for me? Oh, that was so rude, I’m sorry. I meant to ask, how are you? And oh! I’m sorry, I forgot to bring a needle and some thread, I absolutely swear to you I’ll bring some next time.”

“It’s cool, Anne. I forgot to bring my sweater anyway.”

“Okay then.” She sat down beside the spot he was sitting on and leaned over to see what he was doing. He sat back down and handed her one of the slates that sat on the floor and a piece of chalk. Then he handed her a small stack of threadbare books. 

“I uh, I read them over and over again in Alberta, so they’re a little worn, but… they still do their job so…” His voice faltered at the end. But Anne could barely notice. She beamed at him. 

“They’re wonderful, Gilbert.” She said as sincerely as she could. “They’re treasures, thank you.”

Now it was his turn to flush pink. “Yeah, no worries. So here’s what we learned today, I’ll just try to go over it and then you can stop me when I go over something you don’t know.”

Gilbert opened his history book and went on their lesson on the war of 1812, the facts, and the generals that did the most for Britain. He thought it was a bit dull, or at least reading from the textbook was, but Anne seemed enraptured. When he got to the end of the chapter he asked her what he thought of it.

Anne was taken aback. Was he asking for her opinion? Was he making fun of her? But he seemed genuine in his request to know what she was thinking, so she went on her spiel of what she thought of the war and how interesting she found it. “... of course, I would never want to live through something like that, but one could still imagine how romantical it could have been.” She finished.

Gilbert smiled at her. He never really thought of war that way, or any other way at all! It never seemed real to him, and when he thought of his history lessons he always thought of them as talking about events that happened in a different world. But Anne was right, there was more to it. When he told her he agreed, she looked at him happily. He mentally clapped himself on the back.

They started on their geometry lesson, which Anne took less happily. Gilbert understood; the Pythagorean theorem wasn’t the most fascinating concept in the world, but Anne seemed to be getting it alright. 

He watched her as she frowned over her slate. She was wearing the same dress as Tuesday, though he convinced himself it was normal. It’s not like she could wear something new every day of her life. Her fingers were dirty and red, like they were hurt, and she had scraps all over her wrists and neck. One of her cheeks was redder than the other. 

But what alarmed him the most was the way she reacted when he took out an apple from his pocket halfway through their lesson. She looked up from her slate and eyed his apple out of the corner of her eye. He offered it to her automatically.

“No, I’m okay. Sorry for staring.”

“Take the apple, Anne. It’s fine.”

She shook her head. “Really, Anne. You know, I live on an orchid, it’s what my family farms. There’s no shortage of apples!”

“No, really. It’s yours.”

It only took three meetings, but Gilbert knew how to talk to her. “You’d be doing me a favour, Anne. You have no idea how sick I am of these apples!”

Whether Anne believed him or not, he didn’t know. But she smiled at him gratefully and bit into it immediately, closing her eyes and humming appreciatively. “Thanks.”

“Yeah sure.”

The next time they’ll meet she’d have to make some fantastic stitches, Anne thought. She owed it to him. 

As soon as it got cooler Anne realized the time. She stood abruptly. “I have to get back! I… thanks for meeting me Gilbert.”

He smiled at her. “Of course, Anne. I had fun.”

“Okay well, I’ll see you as soon as I’m able?” It wasn’t phrased like a question, but she said it as one. Gilbert only proved to be kind and thoughtful, but she wasn’t fully convinced yet. Besides the carrots incident, Anne thought he was almost perfect. Which was a shame, because if he decided to stop their meetings she didn’t know what she’d do. 

“I look forward to it, Anne. See you soon.”

She smiled at him and waved, leaving towards the direction of the Blewetts. When she was almost out of sight she heard him call, “Good luck, Anne!”

“Thank you!” She didn’t process it. Only after another minute did she question it. Why was he wishing her luck? Did he figure out her situation, how precarious it was? No, it must be for another reason, she tried to convince herself. She’ll try to hide it better next time.

Because if it wasn’t, if he knew, then she was in a world of trouble. 

\-------------

Anne rode on a high for the rest of the evening and the following day. She had managed to return to the Blewett's before anyone of importance noticed her missing, and she slipped extra sugar into the promised tea. 

She entered the town center with her head held high. If she timed it right, she’d be walking in and out of each store with enough time to spare to walk past Green Gables. If she was lucky, she’d see the Cuthberts. She sent a silent prayer as she entered the shop.

A little ring of a bell alerted her presence to the rest of the shop, but Anne took no notice. She wanted to get in and out as soon as she could. Even if she didn’t see the Cuthberts, she could take some time to read in the forest. She had books now!

She picked up some flour and white sugar, occupied with checking her mental list. She didn’t notice the stares that followed her through the shop. Older women and mothers, young adults, and shopkeepers. This was the first time Anne entered the town center when it was this crowded, and people didn’t take to her too-small dress and dirty fingernails. They had heard she was staying with the Blewett's. It certainly looked like it.

It was a small shop, but Anne didn’t notice the whispers that followed her. She imagined herself at Green Gables, studying at the dining table. Hopefully, she was still friends with Gilbert when she went back. If she went back, she reminded herself. She was working on her expectations.

The people of Avonlea, however, did pay attention to Anne. As she went from store to store eyes followed her around. Shopkeepers kept their eyes on her hands, waiting to catch her slip something in the folds of her dress. Word got around, and people became less inconspicuous with their glancing. But Anne was still in her own world.

That’s why it was a shock to Anne when she ran into Mathew near the end of town. Quite unlike him, he called out for her loudly. He was shocked to see her. 

“Anne.”

She turned to him, eyes shining. Her beloved Mathew! He was here! All thoughts of keeping to herself disappeared. She was going to talk to Mathew, regardless of what Mrs. Blewett thought of it.

“Mathew! How are you?”

“Oh uh, good. Yourself?”

A man of few words, Anne thought. She smiled. “I’m doing marvelously, now that I’ve seen you! Tell me, how’s Green Gables? The horses, the chickens? How is Miss. Cuthbert? I hope you’re all doing well.” 

“We’re doing well, Anne.” Though not as good without you, he thought. Her presence was sorely needed, and missed. She brought something out of all them, whether Marilla wanted to acknowledge it or not. If he has his way, he’d pick her up and take her home. He was about to tell her that, let her know how much he missed her, when the town clock chimed. 

“Oh no! I have to get back, I must have miscounted the time! Mrs. Blewett is going to be unhappy with me, Mathew. I have to get back as quick as I can. I’m so sorry to cut our conversation short!” 

She dropped her belongings and jumped up to give him a hug. He took a step back to support himself. The hug was unexpected but not unwelcome, and it filled him with warmth. 

Before he had a chance to reply she was off, grabbing her things and running past him. 

\------------

It was true, Mathew Cuthbert was a man of few words, but when he spoke he spoke with intention. He drove back to Green Gables with a goal set in mind. He was going to get Anne back to Green Gables, back to where she belonged. Mathew knew his sister, knew that she regretted leaving Anne, even if she refused to let herself feel the remorse. He didn’t care how long it would take, he would make it happen. There was nothing more important. 

He took a moment to reflect on Anne as he drove home. She was wearing the same dress, small, thin and dirty. He would make it a priority to get her some new clothes when she came back home. Mathew didn’t know much about girls' clothes, but for Anne, he’d learn.

She had a cut on her hands and neck, a bruise on her wrist. Spare the rod and spoil the child. Mrs. Blewett certainly believed in that one, though he rarely ever saw her at church. It made his blood boil. Anne didn’t deserve any of that. At least when she came home she wouldn’t face anything like that. Marilla may be stubborn and cold, but she was not cruel. The Cuthberts weren’t raised with physical punishments, and neither would Anne.

She seemed even thinner and more fragile than the day she arrived at Avonlea, though he couldn’t see how that was possible. He gripped the reins of the carriage tight. 

Still, Mathew knew that Marilla was stubborn. He truly believed that Anne belonged with them, and knew that Marilla felt it too. But bringing this all up with her was not the way to do it. He’d have to go slow and gentle, as to not scare the idea off. Like a baby mare. Mathew knew how to treat baby mares. 

Maybe Marilla was frightened too. Maybe she saw the bright spark that Anne Shirley was, the way she changed Green Gables overnight, and she was scared of that change. Maybe Marilla was terrified that the responsibility of a child was too much.

No matter, Mathew thought. Life was scary. Anne Shirley belonged with them, and he was going to try his damnest to bring her back.

\----------

He entered the house slowly, although that was nothing out of the ordinary. For the past week or so, however, he went out the back door and into the barn without a greeting to his sister. Let her be mad, he thought. Let her regret her decision. 

But that was not the way to go about things. He would have to start talking to her. Really talking to her. Slowly, but conversation all the same. Soon, he’d convince her.

She was setting tea when he entered the kitchen. He glanced at the clock. It was midafternoon. Rachel Lynde would be coming soon. No matter, he’d just be quick. He had to start slowly anyway.

“I saw Anne in town today.”

Her head snapped up, and she froze as she looked at him. “How was she?”

He didn’t really know, so he didn’t know how to answer. Should he exaggerate, make her seem miserable? No, that wouldn’t help the situation. Besides, whether she warranted being miserable, Anne was still a bright spark. He settled on the truth. 

“I didn’t have much of a chance to talk to her. She said she didn’t want to anger Mrs. Blewett by being late.”

Marilla frowned softly at her hands. She continued setting up the table, feigning nonchalance.

“But how was she? How’d she look? Happy?” 

She looked at him hopefully, guiding his answer to what she wanted it to be. “She seemed skittish, Marilla, and she had cuts all over herself.”

“Well that’s to be expected, she’s working hard.”

Mathew had to keep himself in check. He wished he could see inside his sister’s mind to figure out why she believed what she did, why she was fighting fate so hard. He turned to leave for the barn. 

“She’s a child, Marilla.”

\------------

It starts slowly, and then it’s all she can think about. Anne scrubs dirty pots, and thinks about their clearing. She hangs clothes to dry, and thinks about the books he lends her. She spends hours hunched over, stitching clothes until her fingers bleed, and she thinks about the way Gilbert looks at her.

By the end of the month she and Gilbert met many times, and learned a lot about each other. Though she hated to admit it, she was enjoying talking to him far more than some of the lessons he gave her. Gilbert was very smart, and hardworking, but he lacked the imagination required to make science poetic.

She learned a lot about him. Gilbert Blythe. Two years older than her, though he rarely acted like it. His mom died giving childbirth, his favourite fruit was cherries. His dad was sick, really sick, and his favourite colour was red. He hated his house sometimes, because it made him feel suffocated, and that made him feel guilty. He liked playing hockey with his friends.

In return she told him about herself. She described the Hammonds and the orphanages, beginning vaguely and waiting for him to stop her. But he didn’t, he only looked at her and nodded along to show her he was following, so she told him more and more, getting more detailed until she was talking on autopilot, reliving her childhood.

She didn’t want to cry in front of him, but by the time she told him about Mr. Hammond she was. She struggled to describe what transpired at Green Gables. She knew, in the back of her head, that Gilbert knew the Cuthberts, probably grew up in front of them, and didn’t want to paint a poor picture of them in his head. Even if she wasn’t going back, she wanted a happy life for them.

“... Marilla told me that they had no need for a little girl, and that they were going to send me back in exchange for a boy.” He looked at her alarmed. “No! I mean, I wish I could stay, or I wish I had a couple days to prove that I can do whatever a boy can do, but Marilla was adamant.”

“I’m sorry Anne, I wish I could do something. Maybe we can go talk to them together? Or I can ask my dad to send them a message, I think he used to be friends with Marilla. We could still try, Anne.”

She smiled at his use of we. “Thanks Gilbert, but word would get back to Mrs. Blewett, and that never ends well for me.” She didn’t give him time to think about what that meant. “I saw Mathew at the towncenter a couple weeks ago, did I tell you…?”

Still, as the weeks passed Anne and Gilbert became more and more comfortable with each other, stayed out later and later, and became friends out of want rather than necessity. She kept trying to hide her cuts and bruises from him, it wouldn’t do either of them any good. There was nothing she could do about it, and he didn’t need the extra worry. By their third meeting in the clearing she gave up pretending she didn’t want his apples, though, and he pushed them into her hands without asking. 

The day they finished their history text was special. Gilbert was finally caught up with his classmates, and Anne officially knew as much British history as all the other kids her age. To celebrate, Gilbert carved their names into the trunk of the biggest tree in the clearing. AS, GB. They often leaned on it while they were studying. And, assured that it wouldn’t be found, Anne often thought back to it, feeling warm and fuzzy inside. It was a helpful reminder that she had a friend when things were rough.

She was struggling to understand why she felt the way she did. Maybe it was something people always felt with their friends, but Anne didn’t think that was right. It was true that he was dashing, but Anne didn’t let herself think those thoughts. At least not in the daytime, when daydreaming was a crime. Nothing good would come out of thinking those thoughts.

Still, Anne thought the whole thing was magical. She knew that as winter came she wouldn’t be able to meet him nearly as much, and she had to explain there was no way to keep the children quiet indoors when he offered for her to come into his house. She ignored her curiosity, and her nerves. She swallowed her jealousy of having a house with a parent. Gilbert’s father was sick and she was jealous! There’s a reason she was called wicked.

Still, her friendship with Gilbert was the best thing to happen to her in a long time.

And then she woke up in the early morning. Laying in a puddle of blood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha cliffhanger! 
> 
> I'm a firm believer that Anne would have been in a better place to understand her feelings if she knew they were an option, as in, she didn't know that Ruby liked him.
> 
> Let me know your thoughts!


	5. Another Friend

Anne woke up with a start, a thumping pain at the bottom of her stomach. She felt down between her legs. Her hand came back sticky, warm, and red. Air left her lungs. She looked down and saw a small patch of angry red liquid all around her. She noticed the pain in her stomach again, like she’s never felt before. Her heart stopped, she felt woozy. She was dying -- what else could it be? She was diseased, she was ill, she was going to die. There was no other explanation. 

All at once, Anne’s life flashed before her eyes. All the things she’s said and done, all the things she’d never get to do. She never said bye to Mathew, or Gilbert! She had to find him! She had to thank him! Maybe she could convince him to say goodbye to the Cuthberts for her. Her eyes welled up, her heart beat furiously. She couldn’t believe this was the end of Anne Shirley. She started to stand up and swayed. She felt dizzy, and like her legs couldn’t support her. She slowly put one step in front of the other, grabbing her bad and silently changing out of her sleeping clothes. 

Her hands shook badly when she went to open the front door. She didn’t bother hiding or cleaning the mess she’s made. Maybe it was rude, but she didn’t like the Blewett's. At least when she was dead she could meet her parents. They had to be better than here!

She stuffed a spare piece of cloth between her legs. She didn’t want to be covered with blood when she saw Gilbert for the last time. Too late for that, her hands were covered with blood. She tried to rub it off but only spread it around herself. It’s fine, she reasoned. I’ll meet Gilbert on the path he takes to school and then find a gorgeous cherry tree and go to sleep. Despite only waking up, she felt exhausted. Her stomach hurt more and more. 

She ran to their clearing and tried not to break down. Not yet, not until she found him. She smiled through her tears; her happiest memories were in this clearing, and all from the past couple of weeks. It was the happiest she felt since learning she was going to live at Green Gables. And now, she felt the worst she’s felt since being dropped off at the Blewett's.

She kept walking, stepping over fallen trees and through fallen leaves. Must she die in October? The most beautiful time of the year? Avonlea was beautiful in the Autumn, as she’s come to learn. She’ll never see it in the spring! She continued to cry.

When she finally found the spot where she met Gilbert, she hid behind one of the larger trees. This is where their friendship began, and where it would end. Poetic, she thought. Would she have a funeral? She shook and shivered. She didn’t have a coat.

When she heard his steps coming, she could cry from joy. 

“Gilbert!”

He jumped and whirled around to look at her. “Anne! What are you doing here?” He grinned at her, ecstatic to see her.

She smiled at him. He had looked relaxed before she called him, and it made her feel guilty. The bag over his shoulder looked full. He promised to bring her new books today. Her heart filled. Still, her voice was shaking. Her voice cracked, “I’m dying Gilbert.”

He froze and stared at her. “Huh?” 

“I’m bleeding, Gilbert, and my stomach hurts terribly. I’m dying.” 

He looked at her, confused. Anne had started joking with him, and she had a tendency to exaggerate and get lost in her imaginings, but he thought this was too cruel to be her. Besides, she wouldn’t risk getting caught by the Blewetts out this early. That alone was enough to put him on edge.

Her eyes were red and brimmed with tears, and she was slouched over, looking defeated. Something was seriously wrong. Was she actually dying? 

No. He took a deep breath and told himself to keep calm. Anne wasn’t dying, it made no sense. What was he supposed to do if Anne died?

Focus.

“Okay, here’s what we’ll do. We’ll go back to my home, you can stay there until we figure something out. You’re not dying Anne, we’ll fix you up.”

“Oh no, I didn’t mean to bother you, you don’t have to go out of your way! Your father’s resting, right? I don’t want to bother Gilbert, really. I just wanted to see you to say goodbye.”

“Don’t be a…? Anne! This is your life we’re talking about, of course it’s important! Come on, I’m not taking no for an answer.”

He grabbed her upper arm and started to pull her in the direction of his house, looking back every few moments to ensure she’s okay. Anne grew to be nervous. Gilbert in the woods, she could handle. Gilbert in his house? How many times has she tried to imagine it? And meeting his father? 

By the time they got there Anne’s ears were numb with cold and her hands shook. Her stomach hurt terribly and she was beginning to feel a headache. She was about to ask to stop for a moment to catch her breath when they got to the top of a hill and she saw the orchid. It was beautiful, large and wide. The apple trees were a beautiful shade of reds, oranges, and yellows. Anne sighed. She’d never see anything like it again.

Gilbert flung the door open and pulled her inside, immediately sitting her down on the couch and throwing a blanket at her. Her heart filled. He was clearly anxious about her. She still felt bad he was missing school. If she could go then she wouldn’t miss school for anything!

She looked around the room. It was simple, and tidier than she thought it would be given that the only person who used it was Gilbert. It was dark, and a bit brown for her taste, but she could see a lot of his personality in the house. Photographs lined the fireplace and she longed to reach for them, to learn about the Blythe family and who they are, but refrained. She was a guest, and Gilbert brought her here to help her. She shouldn’t be nosy.

He came back in with a warm cup of tea and set it down in front of her. “My dad should have woken up already, I’m just going to check, and then you’re going to describe what’s happening to you and we’ll try to figure it out. If it gets worse we’ll take a horse to the doctor in town, okay?”

He looked completely determined, so Anne knew she had no way to convince him otherwise. “Okay sure.”

Under the wool blanket and next to a low fire, Anne was starting to feel better. Maybe she ate something terrible last night, and this was the consequence? Could she be such a fool? No, it was a lot of blood. 

Gilbert entered his father’s room gently, calmly, even though on the inside he was shaking. His father had his head propped up on the baseboard of the bed, reading Wordsworth. He looked surprised to see Gilbert at home, though not very. They weren’t very quiet when they came in, he mused.

“Is everything okay, Gilbert?”

“Anne’s not okay,” He blurted out, “She’s bleeding, I think she’s really sick, so I brought her here. I don’t know what to do.”

John Blythe looked at his son. He heard a lot about Anne Shirley in the past month, more than anything else. He knew his son liked the girl, liked her in a way that was going to last a good long while. If his son knew it, he wasn’t sure. 

“What’s wrong with her Gilbert? Oh just -- bring her in! I’ll talk to her.”

So there she was two minutes later, sitting in front of him and looking small. “Nice to meet you Mr. Blythe.”

“Nice to meet you, Anne, I’ve heard a lot about you.” Anne blushed a shade that matched her hair, and looked at her son. She was a lovely girl, talking about how nice his house was and how she liked poetry too. 

When she finally ran out of steam he asked her, “What are your symptoms like, Anne? Why do you think you’re dying?”

Anne was mortified. What kind of impression was she making? “I’m afraid I am, Mr. Blythe. I’m bleeding terribly, and my stomach hurts, and I feel dizzy, just awful.”

“Where are you bleeding, Anne?”

Her blush was her answer. 

John Blythe grew up on a farm and wasn’t nervous around things as natural as blood. But still, this was not his area of expertise. He knew that Anne didn’t live with people that she could talk to about this, and it made the situation tricky.

“What do we do, Dad?”

“Stay here with her until school lets out, Gilbert. Show her around the orchid and the house, don’t go back to school. When school ends, go back to your class and ask one of the other girls to come back with you here, one of the older ones, and she’ll be able to help Anne.”

“What do you mean, dad? Why can’t we help her? How would a girl from school know what to do if you don’t?”

John mustered up the energy to glare at his son. He usually did what was asked of him, no questions asked. Not when it came to Anne apparently. 

“Trust me son, just do what I said. Unless you want Rachel Lynde over here.” He didn’t understand a lot of what Anne was going through, but he knew enough that Rachel Lynde was not the best option for her. The best option would be a mother, but they were short on those around here.

Gilbert nodded, then left them to make some tea.

“So I’m going to be okay?” Anne sniffed and wiped her tears on her sleeves.

“Yeah Anne, you’re going to be fine. Don’t worry, you’ll figure things out, and Gilbert will take good care of you.”

She blushed pink this time, and John had to laugh. This was the most entertaining thing that had happened in a while. How did his son get into this situation? Maybe it was just Anne.

Gilbert brought in a tray with tea and dried biscuits Mrs. Mckinnon left them. They were hard to swallow, but Anne ate them with no complaints. 

“Go ahead and talk, you too, I’m too tired to listen.”

And thirty minutes later John was trying to keep up with their conversation, or debate, more accurately. He always knew his son was smart, but he still struggled to keep up with their talking points, back and forth and back and forth. Anne kept up with him well, he thought. She was certainly coming out of her shell more and more.

When they finished, he set his cup on the tray and leaned back. “I’m quite tired, I think I’ll rest now. Anne, if I don’t see you before you leave, it was very nice to meet you.”

She smiled at him, “You too Mr. Blythe.”

Gilbert guided her into the living room again before coming back for the now empty tray. “She’ll really be okay?”

“Yes, I promise she’ll be just fine. But I’m not talking about this with you, sorry Gilbert.” He stared at him, confused. John chuckled. One day he’d know.

He looked pained, like he didn’t know how to say what he wanted to say. 

“What’s wrong?”

“What did you think of her?” Gilbert blurted out.

John smiled internally. His suspicions were all but confirmed. “I think she’s a very bright girl, that Anne. She fits you quite well. Hold on to her.”

His son blushed. “No, I- that’s not what I meant.”

“Sure, son. It still stands.” 

John smiled. He felt bad for Gilbert, and guilty for taking so much of his childhood away. He was so serious, all the time. He couldn’t remember the last time he was so carefree and light before he talked about Anne.

Yes, he thought as he drifted to sleep. Anne was a lovely girl.  
\---------------

The second time Gilbert walked down on the path to school that day he was in much higher spirits. Anne seemed more mellow during that day, though she was just as imaginative and talkative in his home. Gilbert was very relieved that she was going to be okay. He trusted his father. 

He made it to the schoolhouse right as the group of older girls were leaving. Now it was only down to choose who to ask. Tillie and Jane were out; they had strict mothers like the rest, but the also lived on the opposite side of the schoolhouse. He never pegged Josie as a nice girl, though he supposed he’s never gotten to know her. It was just a feeling, he didn’t know how she’d react to Anne. Ruby was… well she was kind, and would probably help Anne, but talking to her made him uncomfortable, and he didn’t want to think about why. He didn’t think he'd talked to Prissy Andrew in his life, but she was related to Billy, so that was a no. 

So that left Diana. She was quiet, and never spoke out of turn, but maybe she’d be willing to help him. She wasn’t sharp-witted or overtly focused in class, but his dad didn’t tell him the girl had to be a scholar. The only qualification was that it was a girl.

He wondered what was wrong with Anne that only a girl could help her. Oh well, she’d probably tell him later anyway.

“Diana! May I speak with you?”

Collectively the group of girls turned their heads. Gilbert cringed; they were so intimidating. 

She walked over to him, waving the other girls off. They turned around, giggling and walking away. “Hi, Gilbert.”

“Hi Diana. I- well, I have a favour to ask you.”

“Okay…”

“Can you come over to my house for a while? I have a friend that needs help, and my dad said I should ask someone like you…?” He didn’t know how to say that he needed a girl. 

“You want me to walk with you?”

“No! I mean yes? Just for a while.”

She nodded and fell into step with him. “I have to get home soon, before my mother gets mad, but I can try to help. What’s the issue?”

“Well I’m not exactly sure. I have a friend over, her name is Anne, have you met her? Red hair, kind of small. She’s new to Avonlea.”

Recognition dawned on her face. “I saw her in town last week, my mother and some of her friends talk about her all the time. It’s the best gossip the town’s had in a while, I suppose.”

Gilbert frowned. “What are they saying about her?”

“Not great things, I’m afraid. Comparing her to their daughters, comments on her clothes and the way she looks. Sometimes her hair, or how dirty her fingernails are.”

“Well if they’re so bothered by it why don’t they do something about it? Why not offer her help instead of mock her?”

“They think we’re above her, Gilbert. She’s an orphan, she’s staying with the Blewetts. She’s different, it’s easy to make fun of her.”

Gilbert sighed. Anne was magical, why couldn’t other people see it?

They entered the house together to find Anne sitting on the couch with her head between her legs, holding her stomach. Gilbert ran over to her, nudging Diana to follow him. 

“Anne! Look, this is Diana. She’s in the same year as me in school. She can help you, right Diana?”

Anne looked startled to see another person in front of her.

“Hi, I’m Diana. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Anne knew that she didn’t hear good things, and it saddened her. Diana was Princess Cordelia in the flesh, and she’d never convince her to be friends. 

“I’m bleeding, and my stomach hurts terribly.”

“What could it be Diana?” Gilbert asked earnestly.

She flushed. She felt sorry for Anne -- how horrible it must be to not have parents! And she knew immediately what was happening to Anne. She was terrified when she started her monthly, and her mother was there with her from the beginning. Anne must be petrified.

She looked at Anne. She was such an interesting girl, so new and fresh compared to everyone else in Avonlea. She was here to stay, and she thought they could be excellent friends. She felt a strong sense of duty to Anne; she’d be there from her from now on.

“Gilbert, you need to leave the room.” He looked confused, but left to go upstairs anyway. Diana felt powerful. She’s never been so assertive in her life.

She went about explaining how a monthly worked the best she could, comforting Anne when the inevitable ‘every month??’ came. She showed her how to wrap cloth so it won’t fall or stain her clothes, and showed her how to massage her stomach to relieve some of the ache.

“All girls get this? Why?”

“I don’t know Anne, it just happens.”

Anne gave her a wobbly smile. “This stinks!”

They laughed.

“I really like you Anne, I think we can be good friends.”

Oh! Was this her chance to get a bosom friend? Her dream, coming true.

But reality crashed down. She wasn’t allowed to talk to anyone, and she was really truly pushing her luck by being friends with Gilbert. Even her chat with Mathew weeks ago had kept her up at night, worried that Mrs. Blewett would find out. She couldn’t risk it, could she?

“It’d have to be a secret, Diana. Would that be okay?”

“Of course, Anne! It’ll be like an adventure. I’ll try to spend some time away after school and wait up for you with Gilbert. It won’t be often, but I’ll do my best!” 

Anne’s heart burst with the thought. “Best bosom friends forever?” She held out her pinky. Diana understood her, and they shook on it.

Gilbert came down the stairs. “Are you alright, then?”

Anne nodded, and he looked completely relieved. “That’s great. Thank you Diana. Would you like some tea?”

She was about to accept before she glanced at the clock. “Oh! I have to get home right away! I’m sorry! I’ll see you as soon as I can, Anne. See you tomorrow, Gilbert.” She ran out the door.

“Diana agreed to meet with me after school sometimes, isn’t that fabulous? We’re going to be wonderful friends, I just know it. She’s so beautiful too, with her raven hair and warm chocolate eyes. She’s wonderful!”

“Not as wonderful as someone else I know.”

He immediately ducked his head. They both blushed. 

Anne decided to ignore the way her heart started beating and how warm she felt. She had other things to worry about, like getting new cloth from the Blewetts and actually facing them when she went back. She was not looking forward to the punishment she was going to receive, but thought it was more than worth it, spending a day with Gilbert and his father and meeting her bosom friend.

She smiled at Gilbert. Things were looking up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let it be known that Diana is the hardest character to write, and I stand by that. I seriously have no idea what's going on in her brain, but maybe that's just a me thing. I hope I did her justice, somewhat. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, leave a comment if the spirit moves you!


	6. We're Getting Somewhere

The next month of Anne’s life was a jumble, going from the greatest highs to the worst lows. It began the day she got her monthly, staying away from the Blewetts until dusk. Mrs. Blewett was much angrier than Anne had thought; she hadn’t had a chance to explain why she was gone, and endured a long lashing when she came back. As the days and weeks progressed her and her husband became less and less patient, worse than they ever were. Anne was suspecting Mrs. Blewett was pregnant, and neither of them were happy about it. 

The week of her first monthly she was on her best behaviour; she wanted nothing more than to meet Gilbert and Diana in the woods, but knew better than to risk it. The moments she went by Green Gables she ran, refraining from stopping by and saying hello. She truly wanted to be good that week, didn’t want to give the Blewetts another reason to punish her.

Trouble was, they didn’t seem to need a reason. Anne wondered if adults just had to relieve their stress somehow, and punishing her did that for them. She hoped not! That seemed like a terrible destiny for the children of the planet. If she ever married a missionary, she told herself, she wouldn’t hurt her children. She’d remember what it felt like!

Even when she kept her tongue, did her chores, stopped daydreaming, they were still cruel to her. By the end of the week she was exhausted. Her bleeding was more tiring than she anticipated, and she was frustrated that all of her valiant efforts to be good were futile.

Still, in the past month, as the trees’ leaves fell and frost settled, Anne had some of the best times of her short life. She saw Gilbert often, and they were working through all of his textbooks at a fast pace. He seemed convinced that she would be the first in the class had she gone, but Anne was unsure. They gave up the premise of Anne stitching his things, they were established friends now. Friends, she reminded herself. She told herself to ignore the butterflies in her gut when she thought of him.

And in the past month her friendship with Diana grew. She didn’t see her nearly as much as Gilbert, which wasn’t much to begin with, but when they did Gilbert gracefully left them by themselves. Anne was grateful. It wasn't that she didn’t love her friendship with Gilbert, but Diana was her first friend that she was a girl. She couldn’t exactly talk to Gilbert about her monthly, now could she?

So Anne felt blessed as she walked down the path in the direction of Green Gables. It was out of her way, but Anne felt that she deserved it. She needed a break from the Blewetts. Now that it was cold, all of the children were crammed into the small rooms of the house. Anne hated it.

She felt a pull to go in as she walked by Green Gables. The recent snowfall meant she hadn’t seen either of her friends in days now, and she was lonely. She missed the Cuthberts, missed being the person to be looked after instead of the one looking after everyone else. That was who she had been with them. 

She walked up to the pathway as gently as she could, reminding herself that it wasn’t the end of the world. Mrs. Blewett would get mad at her anyway, she told herself. So it doesn’t matter!

She pulled her sleeves down to cover the bruises on her wrist, but they barely did their job. This dress was getting embarrassingly small on her. She reached up and knocked on the door, trying to come up with an excuse for her visit. I miss you hardly qualified, no matter how much it was the truth. 

The door swung open, and in front of her stood Marilla Cuthbert. “Anne, what brings you in today?”

She thought fast. “Mrs. Blewett gave me the day off,” Lie. “And I’ve missed you and Mathew and Green Gables,” Truth. “So I decided to visit.” It was technically a lie, but Anne was too tired to be bothered with it. It didn’t even make a difference if the Blweitts found out she was here at this point.

Marilla brought her inside and started on tea. She was surprised, that was true, but couldn’t help but feel a little happy that Anne missed Green Gables. She quickly shook herself. A little girl like her should be missing her friends, not a spinster like her. Especially after she had kicked her out!

Still, Marilla was excited. Mathew wasn’t due to come back in from the farm anytime soon, so she had a chance to spend time with Anne all by herself. She stopped herself from thinking what that meant. She came back to the table and sat in front of Anne.

Marilla was a little worried; Anne was usually so talkative and lively, but since coming in she hasn’t said a word. She took a moment to look at her, eyes washing over her frame. She was so small. Marilla remembered how she had wanted to fatten her up when she was staying with them. She was still wearing the same dress, and really, by now she had no excuse for the Blewetts. It was approaching two months that she was staying with them, and they should have given her a wardrobe a long time ago. 

She had a cut on her shoulder, going down and under her dress. She couldn’t see how long it was, but it looked painful and fresh. 

“What happened to your shoulder, Anne?”

“Oh, I ran into a sharp corner in the kitchen a couple days ago. I’m just clumsy I guess.”

I voice inside of her screamed at her that that was the wrong thing to say. The cut did not look days old, but more importantly, she didn’t want to remind Marilla that she was clumsy!

Marilla frowned. The girl in front of her looked so tired. Maybe she had been working too hard; Marilla remembered how eager she was to help around the house.

Maybe Mathew was right? All those hints he’s been dropping the last couple of weeks. He thought he was subtle, tried hiding them so she wouldn’t get upset. How could she tell him that the only person she was upset with was herself? She knew that she missed Anne, and didn't bother to keep lying to herself. But she was still unconvinced that Anne belonged with them. She still knew nothing about being a mother!

Anne looked like she was drifting off to sleep right there at the table. She took the cup out of her hands and rushed her to the gable room upstairs and into the bed. Anne sept peacefully.

Marilla took another chance to look at her and felt her heart pang. Anne was a very pretty girl, though she’d never say that to her face. Heaven knows she’s vain as it is. As she took her shoes off, she convinced herself Mrs. Blewett wouldn’t mind that Anne would stay over, even for the night. It was her day off, and she was so tired! But Marilla knew that wasn’t true; she'd be furious.

Marilla looked down at her feet and gasped. She had deep cuts on the back of her ankles and her nails were red and swollen. Her shoes were clearly too small on her, and atrocious in its own right but Marilla could excuse it. Anne never asked for anything, especially material things like pairs of shoes. The only thing she asked for was to stay at Green Gables.

But the cuts were inexcusable. The cut on her cheek a few weeks back, the fresh cut on her shoulder. Bruises that lined her forearms deep under her too short sleeves. The Blewetts were hurting Anne, and badly. She felt a rush of anger flow her and heat her cheeks. Marilla was suddenly consumed with rage and forced herself to take deep breaths. Mathew was right; she had made a mistake. Marilla was prideful, but she had been lying to herself long enough. It was time to bring Anne back to where she belonged.

She closed the room silently and almost ran to the barn where Mathew was staying. She quickly told him what was going on, ignoring the way he smirked at her. Marilla rarely ever admitted he was right. 

His happiness was quickly replaced by a somber expression as he learned what Anne was going through. He knew, in the back of his mind, that the Blewetts weren’t treating Anne well. He just didn’t know how much. He agreed with Marilla’s plan. He’d stay inside, waiting for Anne to wake up, while Marilla rode the carriage to the Blewett’s telling them they wanted Anne back.

He smiled to himself as Marilla whirled away. Anne was coming home.

\-------------

Anne woke up to quiet, which was unusual in its own right. Usually Mrs. Blewett was yelling at her, or there was a screaming baby to attend to, but the quiet made Anne want to fall back asleep.

She didn’t though, confused as to why it was quiet in the first place. She almost fell out of bed when she recognized the gable room, and it took her a few moments to remember how she got there. 

She crept down the stairs and found Mathew sitting at the kitchen table, smoking his pipe. She ran to him and gave him a hug. “Mathew!”

“Hello Anne,” He said gruffly, “How are you?”

“I’m wonderful, Mathew. I had the best sleep of my life! That gable room is so small and cozy, I feel like the room is giving me a hug!”

“I’m glad you think so, Anne, because we have some good news for you.”

He explained his and Marilla’s plan to her carefully, watching her expression. She seemed overcome with joy one moment, but very quickly her expression morphed into terror.

“Mathew, I don’t know how Mrs. Blewett is going to react to this. Are you sure Marilla is going to be safe? Mrs. Blewett has had a terrible temper recently, and I don’t think she’d let me leave.” 

“Don’t worry about that, Anne. Why don’t I make you some toast while we chat, hm? It’s getting late and you must be hungry.”

Truth was, Mathew was getting a bit worried. Marilla has been gone for hours, and the ride to the Blewetts didn’t take long.

\----------

Marilla slammed the door on her way out, manners be damned. Her meeting with the Blewetts did not go the way she envisioned when she had driven over, head held high. She had been shocked to find the state of the house as she entered. There were little children everywhere, screaming and crying. The house was a mess. She was on edge, and immediately wanted to leave. But she couldn’t quite yet. She had a job to do.

“She has to earn her keep.” Was Mrs. Blewetts response. Marilla was careful to frame the situation as something that was already set in stone. Anne was coming to live with them, not may Anne come and live with us? Anne was her daughter now, her family. Nothing and nobody was going to take her away. But Mrs. Blewett pulled out a card Marilla didn’t know she had. 

“Ms. Spencer is the one you should be talking to, Marilla. It is her signature confirming that Anne is in our care. Without her approval, Anne will stay where I decide. And any sheriff or officer will agree with me; like it or not, Anne is ours.” 

It hit Marilla like a ton of bricks. She recalled; neither she nor Mathew signed any papers for Anne, Ms. Spencer was going to bring them over a few days in. Apparently she went ahead and let the Blewetts sign them. So did that mean Marilla had no say? She wanted to cry. She had given up that opportunity, hadn’t she?

“Why don’t you call for a different orphan, Mrs. Blewett? And we’ll take Anne, no harm done?”

“Well why don’t you, Miss Cuthbert. If I recall, you were never fond of this one in the first place. Besides, she does what she’s told well enough. I have another baby on the way, I hardly have the time or energy to spare training a new girl on what to do. Most of them have been orphaned recently, and hardly have experience. Anne’s been doing this all her life!”

She said this easily, but it made Marilla sick to hear. If Anne’s been doing this all her life, didn’t she deserve a respite? And she was hardly in these people’s ‘care’. She was in service, not adopted, that was clear. 

So what was she to do? Keep Anne away? Mrs. Blewett would never give her up. Especially, Marilla thought ruefully, now that she knows she’s wanted elsewhere. She doesn’t know how lucky she’s got. 

Was she supposed to kick Anne out? She must have woken by now, Mathew must have told her. How was she supposed to take that away from her again? How was she supposed to be that cruel?

But if she didn’t, if Anne stayed, Mrs. Blewett would have the upper hand, this Marilla knew for a fact. She had already kicked Anne out once, whereas the Blewetts took her in quickly and flawlessly. It didn’t matter how much she begged Ms. Spencer, she was friends with Mrs. Blewett! Isn’t that how she’d known that the Blewetts needed an orphan in the first place?

Marilla felt stupid, and like she was punched in the gut. She felt like she was out of options.

\-----------

It was truly late now, but Marilla couldn’t return home and face Anne until she had some sort of plan in place. She knocked on Miss. Spencer’s door with intention, and after a moment it opened slowly. 

“Miss. Cuthbert. What can I do for you?”

“I need to speak with you about Anne.”

Miss. Spencer was of higher station than the Blewetts, and treated Marilla with a touch more respect. At the end of the day, though, it was clear that Ms. Spencer was not going to jump to Marilla’s aid.

“I’m not sure what you’re asking of me, Marilla. You gave up authority over Anne when you and Mathew dropped her off at the Blewetts. You have no more say on Anne than you do with… I don’t know, Diana Barry!”

“Yes, I understand. But there has to be something we can do, right? She’s being mistreated, she’s not happy!”

“Children are rarely happy with their parents, Marilla. And plenty of people believe that a slap or two constitutes good parenting. There are no laws against it, you don’t have much of a case.” 

An idea appeared in Marilla’s head.

“What if it was more than a slap or a bruise? What if it were really awful? Would there be anyway to help her if it got to that?”

Ms. Spencer frowned. “There's hardly any laws about hitting children, and they’re all extremely vague.”

“So what should we do?”

“Honestly, Miss Cuthbert, I’m not sure. I can send for another orphan for you, if you’d like.”

“No!” Why could no one understand that they wanted Anne, that Anne was wanted? 

“Then you’ll have to convince Mrs. Blewett, I’m afraid. There’s not much else I can do.”

As Marilla rode back to Green Gables, her thoughts whirled around and around as she tried to figure out what to do. Ms. Spencer said that she’d have to convince Mrs. Blewett to return Anne to them. But Mrs. Blewett didn’t want another orphan, and even more so she didn’t want to give the Cuthberts what they wanted. In her view, they were rich and privileged enough as it was, and she wanted them to suffer like her.

So what would convince Mrs. Blewett to give her up? The answer came surprisingly easily. Money. The Blewetts had more children than they knew what to do with, isn’t that why they wanted an orphan in the first place? Mr. Blewett worked a small job in town, they didn’t even have a farm! They have always wanted, no, needed more money. Trouble was, Marilla had none to give.

Yes, it was true, they had for more than the Blewetts, and on any other day they would gladly exchange anything for the amount that the Cuthberts could spare. Mrs. Blewett saw how desperate she looked; they had leverage now. They would continuously ask for more and more money, leaving Green Gables bankrupt. And Mathew was growing older, that was why they sent for a boy in the first place.

Marilla would sell everything back for Anne now, that much was true. But couldn’t there be another way? When Marilla got Anne back, she wanted her to have a happy life, she wanted her to want for nothing. How was she to do that if they had to sell everything?

She thought for a moment. Who in Avonlea would be able to help her? Who would loan their money? Even if she asked for bits here and there, the whole town hated Anne, thought she was weird and wretched.

\--------------

Anne didn’t take the news wonderfully, but she didn’t immediately burst into tears, so Marilla counted it as a success. “The Blewetts want you back, Anne, and there’s nothing we can do about…” She looked alarmed. “Yet! There’s nothing we can do yet. Mathew and I are going to figure something out, as soon as possible. I promise. Anne, I promise you we will. And whenever anything happens at the Blewetts you can come back here, okay? Green Gables is your home.”

“Please don’t make me go back!”

This time it was Mathew that spoke. He was equally devastated by the news, but reassured that they would find a solution. The last time he saw Marilla this resolute was when she refused John Blythe, all those years ago. Marilla has her faults, but this time her stubbornness would come in handy.

“Anne, you’re ours now. I promise you, you are. You belong here, with us, forever. You just have to give us some time to make it official, okay? We won’t forget you.”

He moved his arms around her, and she gave him a hug. She gave a shaky nod against his shoulder. “Why don’t you go back upstairs. You can stay the night, and we’ll take you back in the morning.”

“Mrs. Blewett is going to be furious.”

“Don’t mind her, Anne. She knows to keep calm.” Marilla wasn’t positive about that, but she knew that Mrs. Blewett was intimidated. She wouldn’t want to give the Cuthberts another reason to take Anne back, especially now.

Her eyes welled up with tears, and Mathew looked similarly affected. Alarmed, Anne said, “I believe you, I do. And I’ll be on my best behaviour until I can come back.”

They smiled at her. 

It was the beginning of winter now, and the first snow of the season had already setted. “I won’t be able to meet Gilbert or my bosom friend Diana nearly as much now that it’s cold out, but the next time I see them I’ll give them the happy news.” 

This came to a shock to the Cuthberts. “You’re meeting boys in the forest, Anne?” Mathew asked her. Marilla smiled. How like a father he was to her already. But Marilla received a different message from her completely.

“You’re meeting Avonlea schoolchildren?” Marilla asked her. “You’re meeting Diana Barry?”

Marilla didn’t know much about the Barry’s; if she wanted gossip she would talk to Rachel Lynde. However she did know something. The Barry’s were very rich.

And if their daughter was friends with Anne…

Maybe… wasn’t it worth a shot?

But Anne didn’t appreciate their response. Evidently she was not supposed to let them know she was meeting up with people. 

“Oh no! Please don’t tell anyone you know! Really, Mrs. Blewett will be so upset with me! I’m not supposed to meet up with anyone, you see, and she’s already going to be furious with me for staying here with you! If it gets back to the other parents that I’m meeting with their children, Mrs. Blewett will have my head!”

Marilla knew that she meant that as an exaggeration, but didn’t react to it like it was one. Alright, so she couldn’t ask for Mr. and Mrs. Barry’s generosity, even if it were only a penny to them.

The Cuthberts looked at each other. They were going to keep that idea in the forthright of their mind.

“Alright Anne, we will keep it to ourselves. Don’t worry about that now, we’re just happy you have some friends.”

They would wait for an opportunity. They wouldn’t give up. The Barrys were their best shot.

And it would come soon. Turns out, Anne had another trick up her sleeve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting somewhere! Some happiness that I know some of you were wanting, lol. Hope you enjoyed.
> 
> Last few chapters should come soon.


	7. Turn Around And Walk

For Anne, knowing she was loved meant everything to her. To know that she was loved by the Cuthberts was an extraordinary feeling. So even though she knew what was coming for her when she got back to the Blewetts, she held her head high. It was only for a little while longer. There was a finishing line. She didn’t know where it was, but it was there. The Cuthberts would come get her, with the help of love and a little bit of magic, and they’d save her soon. Anne just had to hold on a little while longer.

The punishment she expected never really came. At least, not in the way she expected. She was on edge for the next few days, waiting for the explosion to come, but it never did. The Blewetts still hit her, still yelled at her and kept dinner from her, but not more than before. What had Marilla done when she came over? Marilla was tall and intimidating, but not scary. She’d ask next time she’d see her. Which was soon, hopefully.

While Anne walked on eggshells at the Blewetts, she skipped through the days with her friends. She started to meet Gilbert almost every other day, and saw Diana many more times. Her friendships with the both flourished, and she was quite proud of them. It was the best part of her day to see Diana, whom she chatted with about dresses and flowers and a million other things. She loved Diana, and couldn’t imagine a life without her.

Still, when she didn’t show up most days Anne wasn’t too upset. She knew Diana was busy, but it also gave her time to spend with Gilbert. She’ll never stop being grateful to him for all he’s done for her, and continues to do. As much as she loves Diana, she was too bright and delicate to talk about everything going around deep in Anne’s head. Diana knew the basics of her life and childhood, but Anne kept the details to herself. 

With Gilbert, Anne didn’t hold back. He’d already proved to her that he was steadfast and strong, and didn’t ever stop her talking. She told him all about the horrors of the orphanage and the homes she stayed in, including the Blewetts. The only thing that convinced him not to do anything about her home life was by telling him that she’d be sent back to the orphanage, and she didn’t want that.

So yes, Anne could tell Gilbert anything. Except how she felt for him. But that was unimportant.

She discovered the way she felt about him a couple days after the remarkable few days she spent at Green Gables. It was when she was telling him about how magical the book they were reading was, mouth running to prevent her spilling the news about the Cuthberts, and he was holding eye contact with her, and she just… Well, there was a whole swarm of butterflies in her stomach by now. It was almost exactly the same as the way the books described, although she felt a lot more shaky and a lot less eloquent. She convinced herself to ignore it. There was too much good in her life right now, and doing anything drastic would surely change it.

He could tell she was in a good mood by the way she talked. Her voice was higher and her vocabulary was more expressive. But she refused to tell him why. She didn’t want to spoil the news when it came, that she finally had a home at Green Gables. A small part of her didn’t want to tell him in case nothing came out of it, but she pushed it down. She didn’t want to think about that either. 

It was a week after the day she came back to the Blewetts, and she and Gilbert were spending the last few moments of their meeting packing everything up. The last few moments before they separated they were quiet; they never ran out of things to say, but wanted to live calmly next to each other for a little bit before days of inevitable separation.

The quiet made them hear the footsteps immediately. Anne instantly vanished behind some trees, books still in hand. Her thoughts ran a mile a minute. Was this the end? Had someone found them? We’re the Blewetts here to bring her back? But a second later Diana emerged from the trees, panting and breathing heavily. Her cheeks were flushed red and she had tears tracks down her face. She looked around the clearing quickly before her eyes landed on Gilbert, who was about to ask her what was wrong. 

“Is Anne still here?” She asked urgently.

Anne came out from her hiding place and Diana’s face showed immediate relief. 

“Anne! Thank goodness. I need help, and I don’t know who else to ask! Minnie May’s sick, really sick, and the doctor’s far away!”

That was enough for Anne, who sprung into action by holding Diana’s hand and wrapping an arm around her. All thoughts about angering the Blewetts flew from her mind.

“I’m going to go help them, Gilbert. I’ll see you soon.”

He nodded. “Good luck.”

Diana rushed Anne through the clearing and to the trail they got them to her house. Anne dropped the books she’d been carrying progressively as they ran, wanting to keep a hold of them but struggling to keep up. It was hard running in the snow, but Anne managed to call out to Diana about the symptoms.

“She has a really high fever, Anne! And she has these terrible wet coughs!”

Wouldn’t it be ironic if it were colic, Anne thought. At least she’d know how to treat it.

They burst into the house, running at full speed. Anne has a few spare thoughts to how majestic and royal her house was - did Diana live in a castle? She barely had time to slam the door behind her before Diana pulled her along through the house. This was definitely urgent.

Anne fell down to Minnie May’s level and checked her temperature. “Where’re your parents, Diana?”

“They’re in Charlottetown for business, Mary Joe doesn’t know what to do, and the doctor’s so far away!”

Anne had seen these symptoms before, and they worried her. But she didn’t want to worry Minnie May or Diana, so she channeled her energy into keeping her expression calm and voice from shaking.

“Okay Diana, Mary Joe, I want you to listen to what I say.” They nodded at her. “Cut up some onions, we’ll put them at her feet. Mary Joe, boil some water she can breath out of.” 

Anne went and opened the window as Minnie May hacked a cough. “She’s bad, but I think she has croup. But I’ve seen worse, Diana. And those kids turn out fine.”

Diana nodded miserably and set to work. For the rest of the night and through the morning Anne worked, holding Minnie May and carrying her from the window to the fire. Early in the morning one of the Barry's workers and the town doctor barged in.

He checked her fever and looked into her mouth. “You had some quick thinking, Anne. You saved her life.” The doctor complimented her. 

Anne smiled at the praise. She always despised the way she had to work all her life instead of having a normal childhood like the other kids, but there was an advantage to it after all. If she hadn’t spent all those years with the families and the orphanages, Minnie May Barry would have died.

This was something Aliza Barry knew. She didn’t like Anne; like the other mothers, she was thankful that the girl wasn’t in school with her daughter. She dressed terribly and didn’t have manners, walking around town with her head in the clouds. But when she and her husband came back from Charlottetown and found their youngest daughter sick, her opinions on Anne changed drastically. 

Anne was in shock as Mrs. Barry pulled her into a hug. She knew this was monumental - Mrs. Barry wouldn’t get within someone as dirty or poor as her on any other given day, but as the story was explained to her she lost sight of all her misconceptions on Anne. 

They explained to her how Diana was meeting Anne after school, scared that Mrs. Barry would become mad. But as Mr. Barry carried Minnie May upstairs to her bed, Mrs. Barry hugged Anne again. “Oh, I wish you told me, Diana, but I see now that you are right, I would have reacted terribly.” She gave them a wobbly smile. “I’m so sorry for everything, Anne. I was wrong about you. Thank you for saving Minnie May.”

Anne, who’d now been awake for 24 hours and had her head spinning with this new development, barely had it in her to nod and smile back at Mrs. Barry. In a different world, Anne and Diana would celebrate having their friendship approved. But in this one, Anne couldn’t help but think back to what was waiting for her with the Blewetts. Now that the excitement had passed and she knew Minnie May would be okay she realized how much trouble she’d be in. They hadn’t done anything major to her since their talk with Marilla, or at least, nothing new, but she could see them losing their patients with her. 

“Is there any way we can repay you, Anne?”

“Can I stay over here for a couple hours, please? I’m very tired.”

“Oh I’m sure you are! Of course you can. Diana, set her up in the room next to yours please.”

As they stood up and began walking through the hallways, Anne felt like something was missing. Something wasn’t adding up. Was she supposed to ask for something else from the Barrys? They were rich, could she ask them for money? But money for what? Money wouldn’t change her situation, would it? The Cuthberts didn’t say anything about that.

She’d just keep it to herself, Anne thought. If she ever needed help from them they’d help her.

Anne left at dusk the same day, reasoning with herself that if she was going to receive a punishment at home, it wouldn’t matter when she came back. At least she’d be well rested.

\--------------

Anne crept into the Blewett’s doorway as quietly as she could. They would still be awake, but she hoped she could minimize the damage by being good. Her heart thumped loudly in her ears, but told herself to calm down. She would go through her punishment again and again to save Diana’s sister. She thought briefly of how happy her parents were. Would anyone react that way if the same thing happened to her? 

Her hands shook as she got ready for bed. Maybe if she looked asleep when they found her they’d leave her alone until morning. She was lying to herself, she knew, but didn’t stop hoping all the same. 

\-------------

She woke with a sharp kick to her side, and her eyes flew open to see the glaring face of Mrs. Blewett. Mr. Blewett already left for work, it seemed. They did that sometimes, Anne thought. Mrs. Blewett hurt her much more often, and seemed to enjoy it more.

All of the kids were sleeping upstairs when Mrs. Blewett dragged her by her braids to the front lawn. “Mrs. Blewett, if you let me explain! Minnie May Barry was sick last night, so I went to her house to help her. I saved her life! I’m so sorry that I was away-”

“You’ll have to earn your keep, isn’t that what I told you the first day here, and every day since then? I feed you and clothe you and give you a place to sleep, and you repay me by sneaking out at all hours and meeting other children in the woods. Well we’ll just have to do something about that.”

They reached the front door and Mrs. Blewett pulled her along until she collapsed in a bank of snow. Ironically, it was a picturesque winter day. The sky was clear and the sun was rising. The air was cold and Anne's breath came out as a cloud in front of her. Anne thought it was a wasted day.

She couldn’t convince herself to become scared. This has happened to her so many times, at the orphanage, at the Hammonds, and now at the Blewetts. It all started and ended the same way. If Anne could disconnect while it was happening to her, if she could think about happier thoughts, then the whole thing would pass by her.

Even Mrs. Blewett finding out about her meetings with Gilbert and Diana didn’t raise a reaction out of her. She should have known that they would find out, hasn’t she been preparing herself for this when the eventual end finally came? She mourned the loss of their friendship, she wouldn’t risk meeting with them again. Every time Anne convinced herself the punishment was worth it, and every time, the punishment got worse and worse.

“You’re a stupid, weak, ugly little girl, and I should have never given you a chance.” She kicked Anne’s head. 

She hoped Gilbert would understand when she couldn’t meet up anymore. She didn’t know Diana nearly as long, and doubted she would figure it out, but if Gilbert does then he can tell her.

“I didn’t ask a lot of you. But clearly you can’t handle even the smallest tasks.”

She kept hitting Anne all over her body. The old ring on her finger cut her up all over, from her cheeks toher arms and legs. She was bitterly cold - was lying in the snow with nothing but her old dress, and decided to focus on that. At least she felt numb. That was better than pain.

At this point Anne would usually be sobbing and begging Mrs. Blewett for forgiveness, but this time Anne just endured it with tears streaming down her face.

Mrs. Blewett, frustrated she wasn’t getting a strong response out of Anne, continued to taunt her.

“You thought you were so smart, didn’t you? Didn’t think to hide the books you dropped while you ran off to save your friend? Stupid girl!”

Anne cried out. This was all her fault.

She continued to punch, kick, and whip her until Anne curled onto her side, sobbing. Mrs. Blewett stopped suddenly. Any other person looking would think Mrs. Blewett looked horrified, but she was more annoyed with herself. If she kept going, Anne would be too weak to do chores around the house. She had to stop before it got to that point.

“Shake yourself up and come back in. You need to make breakfast for the children and then get started on the laundry. You’re lucky we’re not sending you back.”

Anne curled into a tighter ball as she sobbed. What was she supposed to do now? His was the worst it’s ever been, and she knew it wasn’t the end. Soon, just when she gained her footing back and could walk without leaning over, the Blewetts would do it again. Maybe Mr. Blewett this time. They’d keep dinner away from her again and again. And when they forgot about her mispassings, they’d find another fault with her and begin again. She’d never break the cycle.

A righteous anger welled up in her. She hated what they were doing to her. All she wanted was a family that loved her, that was all she wanted! She’d happily give up all her other dreams for a family, for the Cuthberts. She sighed as she remembered her dreams about black hair and freckle-less skin. She wasn't exactly treated worse here than before Avonlea - though Mrs. Blewett’s beating was one of the worst she’s ever had - but now that she knew she had Mathew and Marilla, now that she had two wonderful friends and she felt loved, she knew what she was missing.

What would happen if, right now, as Mrs. Blewett raised the older children at the back of the house, Anne stood up and walked away? She couldn’t walk to Diana’s like this, that would just raise a line of questioning that she wasn’t prepared for. She longed to go to Green Gables and fall asleep in the gable room, but she didn’t want the Cuthberts to see her like this. When they looked at her, she wanted them to see a happy girl that could complete her family. Not someone broken down as she was.

So that left Gilbert’s then. She sent a prayer above that he was home and his father was asleep. She didn’t want to bother him. She paused - his father was getting sicker and sicker every time she met with Gilbert. She had told him that she understood if he couldn’t meet with her anymore, but he only told her that he needed to see her now more than ever. She didn’t know what that meant, but surely he would let her in, right?

A sharp pain in her abdomen brought her back to the present. Even if he did let her in, she couldn’t stay with them forever. The Cuthberts didn’t seem any closer to bringing her back. She should head inside and forget about leaving, hoping that the Cuthberts find something and the Blewetts would pity her.

But she looked at the house. How many times was she beaten and bruised? How many times was she yelled at and insulted? How many times had she woken up from raging nightmares with a kick to her head? 

You’ll have to earn your keep. Well, there was nothing to earn.

Anne stood upon shaky legs, grateful that Mrs. Blewett spared the bottom of her feet. She turned her back against the house, and walked away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like Mrs. Blewett is pretty one dimensional, but I also feel like from Anne's perspective that's exactly what she would be, so I don't really mind. I wrote this chapter a couple weeks ago, actually, so if anyone has any ideas on this I'd love to hear them.
> 
> Anyway... to those still reading, thank you so much. We're nearing the end. I tried not to write anything super detailed, but either way, no more of Anne getting hurt from here on out. Especially physically. Only so much my heart can take for my favourite character!
> 
> See you all soon!


	8. Almost At The Finish Line

She didn’t dare look back; she might collapse if she did. Anne felt like she was sprinting, running at full force to get away. In reality she was barely jogging. Her body felt like it had been through the wringer. She had cuts all over that were bleeding heavily and her head was pounding with the beat of her heart. She was completely soaked through; when Mrs. Blewett pushed her into the snow it had gotten into her clothes and in her hair. Her ears felt like they were freezing off, her hands were turning blue and shaky, and she didn’t even want to see the state of her face. At the very least maybe the cold would keep the bruises from forming.

She used low hanging tree branches to pull her way through the forest, not daring to stop. Everytime she put a step forward she felt on top of the world, like she could achieve anything. Everytime her hands brushed against her side or a sharp pain went through her body she wanted to break down and cry. She didn’t remember the last time she felt this terrible, at least not physically.

She moved through the forest, staring with disdain at the ruined books on the floor. They were Gilbert’s old school books, and he didn’t technically need them, but she couldn’t possibly imagine how much it would cost her to replace. She felt hate course through her. No matter how much joy or knowledge they gave her, she despised those books now.

She tried to keep her mind off the consequences of her actions. She didn’t want to think about the punishment she would receive the next time she was with the Blewetts, or Gilbert’s reaction to seeing her like this, or the Cuthbert's learning about her tendency to run when things got hard. She counted her steps to a distant memory of a school song. One, two, three, four. One foot in front of the other. Repeat.

But it was useless; by the time Anne appeared at the Blythe Orchard she was out of her mind with cold. She couldn’t put a coherent thought together, and was dragging her bruised feet through the snow. She collapsed into the front door, her body making a loud thump. She raised her hand shakingly and hit the door with an open palm. Once, twice. Anne was delirious at this point, only focused on staying upright and fighting the swaying of her feet. Distintally, she felt like she was a dancer, moving to music.

When Gilbert opened the door she could almost cry. The heat from the house hit with a force so powerful she almost fell backwards, and only just managed not to collapse into Gilbert.

She tried to move her mouth and form the words needed to tell him what she needed, but now sound came out. He reached for her and pulled her inside, immediately pushing her into the living room, warmed with an open fire. She felt immediately grateful that he knew what she needed. He didn’t question her, although she could just barely process alarm and panic on his face. And then everything went black.

\----------------  
Gilbert wasn’t sure what to do in this situation. Clueless, actually. He refused to think about how this situation came to be, and pushed his emotions aside as quickly as he could. As soon as he laid Anne down he went back to the front door and slammed it shut, working on autopilot. He heated a brink by the fire, which he added wood to make it warmer. He set the brick by her toes, and then, realizing that she was completely soaked through, pulled his sweater off and pulled her arms and legs through it. He put the heaviest blanket they owned on her as well. 

His dad was finally sleeping, and Gilbert wasn’t about to wake him up. There wasn’t much he could have done, anyway. He thought briefly of getting a doctor from town, but by the time he got there Anne would have probably woken up. He looked over at her. Her cheeks were gaining colour, so she would probably be alright. He would just wait it out.

Then he thought to bring the Cuthberts. They weren’t technically her family, but Gilbert knew that meant nothing. All he knew about her situation was what Anne told him, which wasn’t much. He knew she was originally supposed to go live with them, and recently they were trying to get her back. But still, he didn’t want to leave her. She could wake up at any moment, alone and confused. No, he thought. It would be best if he stayed nearby for now.

Finally his thoughts stopped running in circles, and he took a chance to look at her. She was almost completely covered in the blanket, but her lips were starting to turn back into their lovely pink instead of the cold blue they were before. He stopped that line of thinking quickly; now was not the time to be thinking of her lips.

He started pacing, unable to stand still. His mind was swimming with thoughts and ideas. Who hurt her? He wasn’t stupid, he knew that the Blewetts were mistreating her, but he turned a blind eye to it. It wasn’t ever anything major, and she always brushed it off. Even when he did confront her she told him that it was nothing, that it was better than going back to the orphanage. 

But maybe it was more than he thought. He suddenly felt sick. Often she disappeared for days at a time, and he’d be left waiting for her, hoping she could show up. He told himself that she was just busy, but maybe she was waiting for her cuts and bruises to heal. The room suddenly felt very small.

Okay. He’d wait for her to wake up, and get the story from her. There was no use panicking himself over a tale he fabricated in his head. If she was more hurt than he realized, he’d get the Cuthberts to call a doctor. If she was alive and well by tomorrow morning, he’d get the Cuthberts just because they were her family, and she deserved her family around at this time. Either way, no matter what happened, he wouldn’t let Anne go back to the Blewetts. She was trying to protect him, he realized, from the truth about what was happening to her. Now it was his time to protect her.

\---------------

Anne cracked her eyes open, immediately shutting them again. It was dark out, but even the low fire in front of her was bright enough to send a shooting pain through her skull. She tried opening her eyes again, eager to look around her and figure out where she was. She felt solid, like she was glued down to where she lay, so she began with moving her fingers and toes. She had a soft blanket on top of her, and she let out a sigh. She was comfortable, and ready to fall back asleep. She felt safe and warm, surely she could let herself close her eyes again.

But no, a second later she felt the scratchiness of her throat, the pounding of her head. Her whole body felt like it was thrown off a cliff. She pushed herself up into a sitting position, wincing as she felt herself go dizzy. She looked down at her arms and legs. They looked like they’d been through a cheese grater.

She looked around the room, and it all came back to her. It was dark, she was just now processing that it must have been night time, with it being so still and black. She had run away from the Blewetts… it must have been at least twelve hours ago. She felt herself begin to feel sick as her thoughts spiraled. She had made it to Gilbert’s house, somehow, and now… where was he?

Her question was answered quickly. He was lounging on the armchair next to her, lightly dozing. At the sound of her shuffling he jumped up and moved to her quickly, cupping her face with his hands and looking all over her body. 

“Anne! How do you feel, are you okay?” His voice was urgent, but low. Anne appreciated that. Everything was still so blurry.

“I think so. What time is it?”

“Just past nine, Anne. You’ve been asleep all day, for hours. Anne, what happened? Did the Blewetts do this to you?”

He moved to sit next to her on the sofa. He was holding her shoulders and turned himself to face her. Anne felt strangely warm, but decided to embrace it. It was the first time she felt warm in a long time. 

“What happened with Minnie May, Anne? Is she alright now? How are you so hurt?”

Minnie May? Oh. Anne had completely forgotten about her. She thought back to the hours she spent by the little girl’s side helping her breathe. Was that only one day ago? It felt like a lifetime had passed.

“She’s fine, Gilbert. I stayed with her until the doctor came, and…” She trailed off. 

“Anne, did you get attacked in the forest or something? This is important Anne, try to focus.”

Anne’s thoughts were spinning, but she couldn’t focus on a single one. She knew she should be concerned, but all she wanted was to go to sleep. If it wasn’t for Gilbert sitting and looking at her, she would have.

“I walked home this morning. Mrs. Blewett was mad. She found the books I dropped next to the clearing. Saw our names in the tree. She got really angry.”

Gilbert looked at her, eyes boring into hers. He seemed so concerned, she thought? Why? She was safe now. 

“And she did this to you, Anne? She was the one that hit you?”

“Yes, and then I ran here. Or walked, I should say.”

Anne was slowly starting to wake up and realize what was happening to her. She moved her body experimentally, rolling her shoulders and stretching her neck. She felt pain explode all over, and she groaned. She leaned into Gilbert’s arms until he was supporting her entire upper half, and he pushed her gently back onto the sofa.

“Rest, Anne. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

She believed him, and quickly fell asleep.

\---------------  
When Anne next woke up she felt good. Well, good compared to what she last felt. It was morning again, which meant she slept for at least 16 hours. She heard the winter birds singing outside. It must have been very early.

She glanced around her, shocked to find Gilbert sleeping next to her on the coach. She felt herself blush furiously, and firmly told herself to calm down. This was Gilbert, of course he helped her when she showed up at his house, of course he stayed with her while she was asleep. She wouldn’t really expect anything less of him. Now that she was awake and conscious, she noticed how he was basically holding her hand. She returned to her bright red state again, and pulled her hand away.

It woke him up, and he blinked slowly. When he saw her, all signs of tiredness disappeared. He blushed pink too, though Anne didn’t know why. She was just his friend, wasn’t she?

He looked her over, concerned and serious. But Anne didn’t want that. She didn’t want to think about the Blewetts and the cuts and bruises or even the Cuthberts. It all hurt her head - she didn’t want to think about things she didn’t know. So she returned to something familiar: teasing Gilbert.

“Return to the land of the living?” She joked.

He smiled at her, suddenly lost for words. They stared at each other. “Good morning to you too.”  
And then, just as Gilbert was asking her if she wanted breakfast, she blurted out, “I can’t leave!”

Gilbert stared at her silently, wide eyed. Anne was horrified - she didn’t know where that came from.

“Anne…?”

“I can’t go back to the Blewetts. I understand if I can’t stay here, but I can’t go back. And you can’t tell them that I was here. Please don’t make me!”

Gilbert felt a pool of dread settle in his stomach. So he was right, then. The Blewetts hurt her, possibly for months and months, and she hid it. How many times had something like this happened to her? Why didn’t she say anything? Didn’t she know that he would have helped her, done anything for her?

“Of course you can’t go back, Anne! You’ll stay here until we figure something out.”

We. Anne felt a bit better. “But you won’t tell anyone, right? You promise?”

Gilbert looked over her injuries again. What if there was something more serious that they couldn’t see. He’s heard about injuries that make people collapse days after they happened, what if something like that happened to Anne?

And the impropriety of it. His father would obviously be in the house the entire time she was there, but he didn’t want to hurt Anne’s reputation. It was fragile as it is, and he knew how much she wanted to seem flawless to the Cuthberts.

But now wasn’t the time to think about impropaty. He blushed as he thought about. It’s not like anything would happen! Anne was terribly injured. And, he reminded himself, just his friend.

Anne was growing panicked at his expression, and Gilbert could see that. “Okay, I promise I won’t tell anyone.”

She looked at him. 

“Really, Anne. I swear.”

She smiled at him and wrapped her hands around his neck, pulling him into a hug. It was awkward, as they were sitting on the sofa, and her entire body was screaming at her in pain, but neither of them let go. For all they loved teasing each other, they didn’t mention that the other was a few shades picker when they pulled apart.

They spent the rest of the day indoors, warm by the fire. Gilbert struggled not to bring up the subject he wanted to talk about. He wanted to ask her all the questions that went through his head from the moment she appeared at his house. But everytime he opened his mouth to ask her he held himself back. She was still healing, it was all so fresh. Besides, maybe there was a reason she didn’t tell him. He knew they were very close, but if she didn’t willingly share her experiences with him he didn’t want to dig it out of her.

Anne’s headspace was the complete opposite of Gilbert’s. She felt calm and content sitting by the fire, wrapped in a large sweater and drinking warm tea. She knew she should be coming up with a game plan; knew that she had a million things to do and to fix before her life became livable again, but couldn’t bear to leave the happy bubble she was resting in. She trusted that she wasn’t going to be kicked out. Though it took her a long time, she knew that for some reason Gilbert liked her. And he wasn’t going to break his promise.

Still she felt terrible that she was staying at Gilbert’s house, taking up all of his attention, when his father was so sick. Besides the few minutes she spoke to him the day after she woke up, Anne hadn’t seen or heard from John Blythe besides the occasional cough. She knew he was getting worse, and helped Gilbert whenever she could. But this was supposed to be a time for them as a family, and despite not having one Anne knew that they should be alone and together.  
\----------------

She heard the doctor speak to them a week into her stay, upstairs and hidden from prying eyes. She was still terrified that someone would find out where she was and take her away, and insisted on staying upstairs. She heard the low tone of the doctor; Gilbert’s father had less than a month to live. And when the door slammed shut and she heard Gilbert start to cry, she quietly crept down the stairs and held him. 

That was the day she decided that she needed to leave. Gilbert constantly told her how much she was helping him by being there, and not necessarily through words. In the two weeks she spent in his home, sleeping in the guest room and helping him take care of his father, they got more comfortable with each other. In the quiet moments of the day, as it snowed outside and everything was still, it was much easier to communicate with hugs and touches than words.

Yes, Anne learned a lot about Gilbert. Which is why she knew that he needed time alone with his father, whether he agreed with her or not. Besides, if everything went according to plan, she’d be there for him after his father passed.

Though ‘plan’ was really too strong of a word. It was more of an idea. And thought she hated it, she’d need Gilbert’s help to do it. As much as she teased him for it, being the golden boy of Avonlea had its advantages. He’d drive her to Green Gables, and she’d ask, or beg, or plead with the Cuthberts to give her another chance. As far as they know, she’s been perfect to the Blewetts so far. If she triggered their empathy by explaining her situation, surely they’d be inclined to help her?

And if that failed she’d ask Gilbert to talk to them. He was a good judge of character; maybe he could assure them that Anne wasn’t terrible. At the very least Anne was sure that Mathew was on her side. Hadn’t he liked her from the beginning?

And then, when they finally agreed, Anne would be able to give Gilbert room to grieve. She felt bad that the best day of her life was going to be one of his worst, but she’d be there for him. From what he told her, the other boys their age didn’t know what he was going through. And finally free from the Blewetts, Anne would be able to support her friend.

\---------------

Unbeknownst to Anne, Marilla was ready to throw everything into getting Anne back to Green Gables. It was about time, too. She had been lying to herself for long enough, and accepted that her fear in raising a child was no excuse to abandon her. She was sure that Anne would still accept living at Green Gables. She showed no signs of pain or discomfort when she stayed there, and had a good time with Mathew. Hopefully the length of time it took them didn’t hurt her too terribly.

She shuddered when she thought of what Anne was going through. And all her fault, too! Would Anne ever forgive her? Would she ever forgive herself?

Enough, she told herself. One thing at a time.

It’s been weeks since the Cuthberts had Anne over, weeks since they made their first decision as a family - to be a family. Yet Marilla and Mathew were no closer to getting her back. They truly didn’t want to go to the bank. That would put them in a terrible situation, and they didn’t want Anne to know that. Finally, a few short days before Christmas, Mathew and Marilla put on their best clothes and got into their carriage. They’d have one final plea with the Blewetts, doing whatever they had to do.

\----------------

It surprisingly didn’t take any convincing on her part to get Gilbert to drive her. She hated asking him so much after all he did for her, and hated to think that he thought she was abandoning him, but Gilbert knew that she wanted to live with the Cuthberts. 

He didn’t say much on the ride over, though he hadn’t been saying much for the past couple days. It seemed to be hitting him what was happening. Anne didn’t try to engage in conversation. She didn’t really know what he was going through, not really, but if she couldn’t muster something positive than what was the point? Hopefully he would forgive her.

She focused on what she would say to the Cuthberts. She would go over how she was hurt and how much she needed her help first, and then she’d explain how much she’d grown. She would help the Cuthberts, not hurt them. She continued to rehearse in her head.

As they approached closer and closer her heart beat faster and faster. Her hands were cold and shaking inside of Gilbert’s old gloves. She went to her braids to readjust her hair. She was nervous.

“You’ll do great Anne. You belong in Green Gables.”

She turned to look at Gilbert. Her first friend, her best friend. Her most loyal companion. He was giving her a smile, though it was clearly mechanical. 

“Thank you, Gilbert. For everything. Really.”

“Don’t mention it, Anne. I’ll be at home if you need me to talk to them. But really, I think they’ll understand that you can’t wait anymore.”

She reached in and gave him a hug. For herself and for him. She felt so bad for what he was going through, but she was glad she’d finally give him space to spend time with his father. She dropped down from the carriage and waved to him as he left. He’d be going back home. His father needed him. And Anne, she needed her family. She forced herself to run to the front door and knock. She waited, and knocked again. Again and again. 

She felt so tired all of a sudden. It was cold, and she was wet. It had started snowing. She turned the door and entered. She couldn’t get herself to care how impolite it was. She suddenly wanted - no, needed to see the Cuthberts. She wanted to be comforted, she wanted her family. But as she looked around the rooms of the house she realized.

They weren’t home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter will be up early next week!  
> Hope you enjoyed!


	9. The Beginning

In a small farming community like Avonlea, people rarely locked their doors. In fact, most homes didn’t even have a lock. It was principle that random people don’t enter others home; it was an expectation. But Anne’s manners weren’t anywhere near her mind. She sat down at the kitchen table, the same one she ate breakfast at all those months ago, and let out a cry.

Realistically, Anne knew that the Cuthberts had no idea she was coming. They weren’t avoiding her. But Anne was questioning everything. Was this a sign that she didn’t belong at Green Gables? Was this a sign she didn’t deserve a family?

A thousand thoughts flooded her brain. Everything she’s done wrong since she came to Avonlea, all the times she ran away. Anne couldn’t help it. She felt claustrophobic in the house. Within a few minutes of entering she left, running out the back door and into the forest in front of her. Should she go to the clearing? Should she find Diana’s? Her parents did say that they would repay her. Should she go to the Blewett’s and clear her name? Maybe she could find a way to the train station and leave the island -- never come back. 

She thought about it while she ran through the trees. Eventually her feet took her down the familiar path of the clearing she and Gilbert spent so many hours in. She saw the remains of books on the ground, the log they shared, their initials on the tree behind it. What a beautiful space, wasted. She’d never forgive Mrs. Blewett for it.

She knew what she should probably do. She should go back inside Green Gables, or ignore the cold and wait outside on their porch. Even if they were overnight in town, they’d come back eventually. A little snow won’t kill her. And when they came back she’d follow through her plan. That would work, wouldn’t it?

She shook herself up. Princess Cordelia was brave, so Anne would be too. All she had to do was walk back. Everything would be okay, she told herself. Everything is going to be fine.  
\-------------

Marilla tried to focus on her breathing. She counted her breaths in her head and tried to ignore the sound of her heartbeat in her ears. She knew she must be flushed, her fists by her sides, shaking, her stance tall. She was furious. She fully expected to have a nice, calm, adult conversation with the Blewetts. She figured, is she reasoned with the woman of the house why her family needed Anne back, she’d let her go.

Mathew was by her side, but he wasn’t feeling anger. Unlike his sister, Mathew was still in shock. Mrs. Blewett was demanding, well, a small fortune to allow Anne to come home with them. He knew reasonably that she would request a fine sum, but he had no idea how much. His mind started swirling around all the possibilities of raising it. His mind drew to a blank.

And on top of it all, they haven’t even seen their girl. They both assumed, hoped, looked forward to seeing Anne when they came to speak with Mrs. Blewett, but she was nowhere around the house. They kept an eye out for her, listening to footsteps that resembled her own in between their conversation. But they couldn’t find them. 

“Well, if that’ll be all. I’ll show you out.” 

Mrs. Blewett rose from there, sat in the living room and looked at them pointedly. Marilla held her dead high. She didn’t want to show the woman the way she was feeling. After all, they got what they came for. She knew what it would take to bring Anne back, it just wasn’t what she wanted it to be. 

Marilla helped her brother up and then made her way to the front entrance. She fully planned to leave the household with her head held high, but couldn’t stop herself from looking between cracks in the doors and through the kitchen to catch a glimpse of Anne. Right as they were about the exit, it burst out of her. 

“And where is Anne today, Mrs. Blewett?” The question came out strong, thankfully, instead of weak and quaking like Marilla was feeling inside. 

The question seemed to have caught the woman off guard, which surprised the Cuthberts. After all, it was a simple question. How do you forget where your child is? They summed it up to be a symptom of not loving your child as you should.

But Mrs. Blewett recovered quickly. “She’s in town doing shopping for me, though she should be back soon, so don’t expect to catch her there.” And then, as if she couldn’t help herself, “That girl is lucky I’m letting her go. If she tries to run away to the Barry’s again I won’t be afraid to make her sleep outside for the rest of winter. Her excuses about saving a life be damned.”

Her tone was menacing, but the Cuthberts could hardly feel it. Mathew seemed down. He hoped sincerely for her sake that Anne got back to the house soon. He wasn’t optimistic that Mrs. Blewett wouldn’t do worse. He glanced at his sister, hoping that she’d want to find Anne in town too. Regardless of what Mrs. Blewett said, there was still a chance. 

Marilla, however, was having a completely different trail of thought than her brother. Which is why, when they exited that god awful house and went to their carriage, Marilla took the reins in her hands and pulled them in the opposite direction, away from their home. 

“Er, Marilla?”

“What, Mathew?”

“Where’re we going?”

“The Barry’s, of course.”

Mathew thought about it, but still didn’t understand. If he didn’t know his sister any better, he’d think that she was losing her mind. In fact, in her expression was blank and emotionless like it was in the house, he’d explore that idea. Instead, she looked almost joyful. When she turned to face him, her eyes were shining with hope.

“Mathew, Mrs. Blewett said that Anne ran away to Barry's. She said that Anne helped save her daughter. Don’t you remember in church when Mrs. Barry was telling the whole room about it? Anne was somehow there helping her! It must be all she knew from her time before Avonlea! Though I wonder how she knew to go there…?”

“Yes that’s wonderful, Marilla. I’m very proud of her. But what does this have to do with anything? Why don’t we go to town and look for her? It can’t hurt.”

“Mathew Cuthbert, think about it! That dear girl ran to the Barry's in the middle of winter, and saved Minnie May Barry’s life. While her parents were away! And now the Barry’s sing her praises any chance they get, even weeks after it happened!”

Mathew was finally catching on. “So, if we go to them and explain our situation, they’d help us?”

“Exactly!” she beamed at him, “what Mrs. Blewett’s request is a fortune to us, but nothing to the Barry's. If we explain to them what we're trying to do for Anne, the girl that saved her daughter’s life, then they have to help us!”

They smiled at each other. Maybe that would work.

They approached the Barry’s property a few minutes later, feeling nervous and shaky but remaining collective on the outside. They weren’t hopeful enough to think that Anne would be there; it’s far from the Blewetts and Anne was smart enough not to take that risk again. But they were hopeful that the Barry’s would help them pay off the Blewetts. It was their best chance at getting Anne back safely.

They walked up to the front door and knocked with a grand door knocker. In other situations, Marilla would feel intimidated by the Barry’s wealth. It was almost incomparable to her own. In this situation, however, her mind didn’t sway far from what she came here to do. 

A maid opened their door and ushered them inside. She went upstair to call on the Barry’s, and Marilla expected a couple minutes to collect herself. Before she knew it, however, she saw the couple approach. Mathew and Marilla were seated in the living room, pleasantries were exchanged. Marilla was gearing herself up to approach the subject, but surprisingly, Mathew beat her to it.

“We need your help. Anne, well, we heard she helped your family. And now she needs your help.”

Mrs. Barry took that in. She never expected the Cuthberts to be people to ask others for money; the Cuthberts were proud. Though she was on guard. She didn’t know the pair of siblings well, and wasn’t sure how they connected to Anne.

She glanced at her husband, and then turned back to face Marilla. “What do you mean you need our help?”

Marilla regained the use of her tongue. “We… well, I made a terrible mistake. We called for an orphan in the beginning of autumn, a boy to help around the farm, but Anne showed up instead. I wasn’t prepared to take a girl in, so we decided that she would stay with the Blewetts.” Marilla took a deep breath in, trying to calm her nerves. She had to get this explanation right, and that was hard to do with tears in her eyes. She still felt so terrible about the way she treated Anne.

“But we want her back. I think you can agree, Anne can’t stay with the Blewetts, they’re terrible to her. I realize my mistake, and all I want is to bring Anne home to us.”

“Oh my.”

It seemed that both the Barry’s were in the same mindspace. Though money dulled many of their problems, having children meant they were able to empathize with the Cuthberts. Mrs. Barry especially was overcome with emotion. That girl saved her daughter's life, and she didn’t even get a family! Of course, she’d still be an orphan, but Mrs. Barry has been looking for a way to pay her back. 

Mr. Barry was having a similar dilemma. He was thankful for the girl, of course. But he didn’t want to be indebted to her. Frankly, owing someone something holds no appeal to him, and he’s been trying to figure out a way to repay her. This was the perfect opportunity.

“Where do we fit into this?”

It was the first thing Mr. Barry said since he entered the living room, and it came off tougher than he intended.

Marilla glanced at her brother. It appeared that she would be leading the conversation. “Mrs. Blewett seems to realize how important Anne is to us. She’s holding her over her head. We need to pay her a large sum for her to agree to let Anne come live with us. We’d take this elsewhere, but for her sake we want to keep it quiet.”

Mathew chimed in, “She belongs at Green Gables, with us. After what she’d done for your family, we’re hoping you’ll help us get her back.”

The Barry’s looked at each other. This would be a good opportunity to pay Anne back for what she did and clear their conscience. Mr. Barry bent forward, leaning in. He lowered his voice as he and the Cuthberts discussed numbers.

Unfortunately for the adults in the room, no one was aware of Diana Barry tiptoeing down the stairs and pressing her ear into the door of the living room. The Barry’s rarely had people over at this time of day, and almost never were the guests for the both of them. When she heard the Cuthberts’ voices, she knew she had to listen to what was going on. 

She could barely hear the conversation, but picked up on the Cuthberts asking her parents for some sort of payment. Were they in trouble? Was Anne actually staying with them? She hasn’t seen her best friend in so long!

Nearly too late, she realized that she hasn’t picked up on their voices in a long time. She heard footsteps approach and ran out of the way back up the stairs. She peered down at the adults underneath her. They all seemed surprisingly happy, including her parents. This confused Diana… since when has anyone left a meeting with her parents with a smile on their face?

Maybe they were happy they could finally help Anne. But then, if she’d been with the Cuthberts all this time, why hasn’t she seen Anne? Diana didn’t know the Cuthbert's well, but she did know that they would allow Anne to see her friend. So was she still with the Blewetts? She hasn’t seen Anne since… since Minnie May was sick! Maybe they hurt Anne enough that she couldn’t escape to meet her and Gilbert at the forest.

Diana had to find out. Something felt very off about the situation.

Slowly creeping down the stairs, she waited until she heard her parents retreat to their separate rooms before grabbing her coat and hastily throwing it over her shoulders. She slid out the door and started sprinting to Cuthbert's carriage, thankfully outside the view from her parent’s bedroom window.

“Mr. Cuthbert! Miss. Cuthbert!”

They turned to look at her, surprised. “Yes, Diana?” Miss. Cuthbert asked her.

“Is Anne staying with you? I haven’t seen her around in so long, I was getting worried!”

The Cuthberts looked at each other. So it was true then, Anne and Diana became friends somehow, meeting in secret. But then, if Anne were staying with the Blewetts, then wouldn’t she have met Diana? Did that mean Anne wasn’t staying at the Blewetts? Was Mrs. Blewett lying? 

Diana seemed to reach the same conclusion at the same time. “So you don’t know where she is?”

Marilla tried to hide her worry by comforting the girl in front of her. “I’m sure she’s fine, Diana. We’re trying out hardest to get her back safe and sound.”

Diana didn’t look convinced. “We have to find her! What if she’s hurt? Or lost? What if she needs our help?”

They didn’t want to admit it, but the Cuthberts were thinking the same thing. They didn’t want to show Diana, though. They wouldn’t take any risk with her and her parents. They agreed to help them, yes, but they could easily change their minds. Upsetting their daughter was not going to be a mistake they made.

But it was true, they didn’t know where Anne was. And though they hated the fact, Diana knew more about Anne then either of them right now.

“We should go to Gilbert’s,” Diana announced. She hoisted herself into the carriage and climbed behind their seat, looking at them expectedly. Usually she would bash herself for having so little decorum, but desperate times require desperate measures. Anne’s friendship was definitely having an influence on her. 

Marilla looked at her, stern. She had no idea what Diana Barry was talking about, and she wasn’t about to figure out. She was ready to tell the girl to go back into her home when Diana explained. “He’s the one that introduced us. He and Anne were friends long before me. She wasn’t friends with anyone else, so she must be there.”

They looked at her, surprised. Matthew recovered first. He thought it was strange that Anne was friends with Gilbert, even with the very little he knew about him. Was Anne really over at their neighbours for the past two weeks? Surely not. But then, what else? “Let’s go then, no time to waste.”

Marilla nodded once, regaining her senses. She grasped the reigns of the carriage and led them back down the road.

\------------------

Gilbert had just finished washing the dishes from lunch when he heard a knock on the door. His first thought was that it was another neighbour bringing rations for him and his dad, but people rarely left their houses in this weather unnecessarily. His mind turned to Anne. Was she not allowed to stay in Green Gables? He rushed to the door, flinging it open. He was shocked to see Diana, and even more strangely, the Cuthberts.

“I… hello!”

He looked wildly at them all, eyes landing on Diana and trying to ask her what was happening. The only thing connecting the three people in front of him was…

“Anne! Do you know where she is? Is she here?” Marilla Cuthbert didn’t stop for pleasantries, which was a reason to be alarmed in itself. 

“Miss. Cuthbert, she’s not here. I mean, she stayed with me for a while, but I dropped her off at Green Gables a couple of hours ago. Are you saying she’s not there?”

“Oh my.” Mathew said. He looked a little short of breath, and very worried. If they didn’t know where Anne was then they couldn’t know if she was safe.

Diana stepped forward and looked him right in the eye. The situation was serious but he couldn’t help but marvel at how much Diana has changed. She stood up for what she believed in, and it was thanks to Anne. “Gilbert, you probably know her better than anyone right now. She’s not back at the Blewetts, she’s not in Green Gables. Do you think she went to town?”

“Oh no!” Marilla looked horrified. “Maybe she’s running away! If she thinks that she has no where to stay… who knows what she’s thinking!”

“No, I think there might be another possibility.” Gilbert didn’t want to think about her running away. It was a possibility, but it was too scary to consider. He explained as he grabbed his coat, “The past couple of weeks we always met in the clearing near the school. She feels safe there, so maybe that’s where she went.”

As soon as he had his boots tied Mathew grabbed his arm and pulled him along. He managed to close the door softly, as to not wake his father, and joined the others on the carriage. Gilbert spent the rest of the short ride focusing on directing Mathew on where to go instead of thinking about Anne. If it was true and she left the island, it would be impossible to get her back.

His heart clenched and started beating faster. Anne knew that he was a true friend, and he knew she trusted him, but trust only goes so far when you think you are alone. He sent a prayer that she was brave enough to stay. If she was in the clearing, then she’d be able to stay with the Cuthberts. She’d get a happy ending. 

It was for that reason that he was devastated when they turned up to the clearing to discover it was empty. His eyes zoned to the tree they sat under, and their initials carved into the tree bark. This was Anne’s safe space. If she wasn’t here then where did she go when she realized the Cuthberts weren’t at Green Gables?

Diana recovered first. “We can keep looking. The sun is almost setting, it’s going to get cold. Anne is smart enough to find a place to stay, and it won’t do anyone any good to try and find her in the dark.”

Marilla, ever the sensible one, agreed. “You both can come to Green Gables for tea and you can join us in looking for her tomorrow. Heavens knows you know her better than us.” She looked saddened by the truth. “Come to tea before you freeze to death.” 

Mathew looked like he wanted to argue, but couldn’t deny how tired he was. The sun set early in the winter, and it was becoming colder and colder every second. He shuddered to think how cold Anne must be.

They rode silently to Green Gables, each one stuck in their own head. They helped each other down from the carriage and approached the front. Marilla looked at the windows suspiciously. She didn’t light the fire before they left the house.

\--------------

Anne was lost in her thoughts when she heard the door open. The first thing she felt was relief; it was getting extremely late and she didn’t want to spend the night without Cuthbert's permission. Then she felt terror. She still entered their home without them knowing, there was no way they could excuse that behaviour. But then she just felt acceptance. She hardly did anything all day but she felt tired. Whatever happened, however they reacted, she couldn’t control.

And when she saw them, she felt surprised. She didn’t expect to see Diana and Gilbert, but didn’t have time to question it before she felt a pair of arms around her, holding her and squeezing her tight. A second pair of arms soon joined her. Mathew and Marilla. 

“Anne! We’re so glad you’re alright!” Mathew let out.

“Anne, dear, I’m so sorry. We’re so happy you’re here. We tried to find you all day! You can stay with us, dear! We have it all worked out. You can stay with us from now on. What do you say Anne?”

Anne took in the scene in front of her. They painted a strange picture. A grown pair of siblings, a rich girl with a big blue dress, a farm boy who looked so relieved that his eyes were watering. Nothing connected them, really, except for her. This was her family; this strange combination of people that made her feel safer than anything else in the world. And they looked for her! They wanted her back!”

Marilla took her silence to mean the opposite of what Anne was really thinking. She brushed her red hair back. “Anne, I’m so, so sorry. I’m sorry that I pushed you away, and I’m sorry that it’s taken me so long. If you give me another chance, I think we can be a very happy family.”  
Anne released a sob and smiled wide. She threw her hands around Marilla. Her mother. She pulled away to see four smiling faces in front of her. She opened her mouth, intent on describing how much they meant to her, but nothing came out. It was okay though. They understood. They could see it in her eyes.

\-------------

After tears were dried, tea was made and quickly consumed. Mathew took Gilbert back to his home after a fierce hug from Anne that left them both red. Marilla drove Diana back to the Barry’s with Anne in the back seat. When it was just the two of them, they chatted together. They had a lot of time to make up for.

The following day the Cuthberts left Anne to set up her room as they went to collect the check from the Barrys. They then dropped it off to the Blewetts and drove away, not looking back. There was only the future to think about, now.

The Cuthberts spent the winter break together, learning how to be a family. Marilla learned what it meant to be a mother, and Anne learnt what it meant to be a daughter. On Christmas day Anne signed her name in the family bible. By the time school started up again the town knew the basics of what happened. Anne’s first day of school was the one after the winter break. It was also Gilbert’s last.

John Blythe died shortly after New Year’s, and after the funeral Gilbert signed his contract with the SS Primrose. Nothing was keeping him in Avonlea, at least, nothing that compared to the pain he was feeling after his father's passing. As promised, Anne was with him throughout the whole thing, supporting him on his decision even when she selfishly wanted him to stay. The Cuthberts came with him to Charlottetown, and when Mathew and Marilla left them alone they had a chance to say goodbye.

“Come home someday.” Anne wrapped her arms around him tight, ignoring the looks they were getting. She leaned back a little and kissed him on the cheek, pleased that it made him turn pink.

“I will. I promise.”

“Good.” And then, teasingly, “maybe we’ll finally find out why you keep blushing around me, huh?”

She raised her eyebrows at him, but couldn’t help but blush too. Gilbert was completely red. Obviously his departure made her mind blowingly bold.

He just smiled at her comment, and Anne believed that he’d keep his promise. It was all the reassurance she needed that he felt the butterflies too. “So, um… penpals?”

She laughed. “Penpals.” 

And they shook on it.

\--------------

It would be the happiest year of her life yet, filled with little moments and big events that she’d keep close to her heart until the day she died. Anne’s time at the Blewetts shaped her in ways she hated, and she struggled to get past them. But every single time, she did.

A week after Gilbert left she went back to the clearing, desperate for some time alone. She glanced at the tree with the carvings. Almost magically, there seemed to be a C, for Cuthbert after her initials. She smiled. Gilbert must have come here before he left. This realization made her heart jump when she saw another addition, a tiny plus sign between their initials in the tree.

She laughed. What a wonderful future she has in front of her.

“Dear old world, you are very lovely and I am glad to be alive in you!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! I hope it was a satisfying ending. Thank you to everyone who read this and commented, it was so fun to read everyone's thoughts! As always, let me know what you think about this chapter. I promised a happy ending, didn't I?
> 
> (Btw in my mind the events that follow would be v similar to the show, with Bash coming back with Gilbert, etc. But the two would remain friends and the whole fiasco (unnecessary, if I may add) with Winifred and the letters wouldn't happen. I also think they'd both go to Toronto, or Queen's, because come on they got the exact same test scores! lmk what you think.)

**Author's Note:**

> Reviews mean the world! See you soon for the first (real) chapter!


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